Davao, the most populous area close to the epicentre of the quake in the Mindanao archipelago, is home to about 2 million children, based on the latest government census. Classes have been suspended in Davao where about 1.3 million children are enrolled in school.
MANILA, 10 October 2025 - Hundreds of thousands of children have been forced to flee their schools and homes in Mindanao in the southern Philippines after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake - the third to hit the country in 10 days - shook the province and triggered tsunami warnings, Save the Children said.
People living in coastal areas have been ordered to move to higher ground and away from the coast after a tsunami warning was issued and as aftershocks continue to shake the islands. The impacts of the earthquake are still being assessed.
Davao, the most populous area close to the epicentre of the quake in the Mindanao archipelago, is home to about 2 million children, based on the latest government census [1]. Classes have been suspended in Davao where about 1.3 million children are enrolled in school [2].
The series of earthquakes in the Philippines has disrupted learning for millions of children. On 30 September, an earthquake killed 74 people and injured more than 500 in the province of Cebu [3]. More than 2,200 schools were damaged or destroyed by the 6.9 magnitude quake and about 2.7 million children - or 10 % of the country’s students – are still out of school, with many too afraid to go to class due to the thousands of aftershocks still rocking the region [4]. Classes were also suspended in the province of Luzon after an earthquake on 9 October.
The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries in Asia, with typhoons and torrential rains also causing deaths and displacement this year. Save the Children works in Mindanao and is ready to respond with aid, in co-ordination with national and provincial authorities.
Faisah Ali, Humanitarian Manager, Save the Children Philippines, said:
“Children are terrified. Yet again they have been forced from their schools and their homes by a massive earthquake. The impact of the earthquake will take time to become clear, but the needs of children must be prioritised, now and in the days and weeks ahead.
“Children are no strangers to disaster in the Philippines. In 2025 alone, hundreds of thousands of children and their families have been affected by earthquakes, typhoons or the impacts of torrential rain.
“Our priority is to support children now, and in the months ahead, in earthquake affected areas to ensure they do not miss crucial days of learning or suffer mental health consequences from experiencing such terror, and to help them and their families prepare for disasters before they hit.
“Donors must act now to ensure that children are protected from both the immediate and longer-term impacts of these combined disasters.”
Save the Children has been working in the Philippines since 1981 with programmes in humanitarian responses, health and nutrition, education, and children's rights and protection.
References:
[1] https://psa.gov.ph/statistics/population-and-housing/node/1684078106. Calculation of number of children made using 36.5% as the proportion of children in the Philippines based on Philippine Statistics Authority 2020 Census.
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