Globe restores services in 31 of 32 Southern Mindanao areas hit by Magnitude 7.8 earthquake

Ayala-led Globe Telecom Inc. on Thursday said it has restored its services in 31 of the 32 municipalities in Southern Mindanao that were hit by the magnitude 7.8 Mindanao earthquake earlier this week.

In an advisory, Globe said it fully restored services in Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Norte, South Cotabato, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Sultan Kudarat, and Sarangani.

“Restoration teams remain deployed in areas still experiencing intermittent signal, particularly where commercial power outages continue to affect telecommunications facilities,” the advisory read.

Globe earlier rolled out connectivity assistance in affected areas, including free 1 gigabyte (GB) satellite data and 50 satellite SMS for seven days for prepaid customers; and free 2 GB satellite data and unlimited satellite SMS for 60 days for platinum and postpaid subscribers.

The company also activated sites for free calls, charging, and wifi in Purok Baliate and Hicban Village in Barangay Lagao, General Santos City.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) recorded the earthquake at 7:37 a.m. on Monday, June 8, initially with a magnitude of 7 and a depth of 10 kilometers (km). This was upgraded to a magnitude 7.8 with a depth of 33 km.

Intensity VII was reported in General Santos City, with an instrumental intensity VIII recorded in Malapatan, Sarangani.

PHIVOLCS has also raised a tsunami warning, as coastal communities in affected areas may experience waves more than one meter above normal tide levels.

 –NB, GMA News