DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 08 July 2026) – A scientist from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the agency will recommend that sites with coastal uplifts should be classified as no-build zones.
Edward Louise E. Orquillas, Science Research Assistant and member of the Project Management and Core Capability Enhancement Team at Phivolcs XI, said coastal uplifts are by default unstable ground and are therefore not suitable for housing.
The uplifts, he said, are also prone to future seismological events, as well as hazardous tsunamis, since the areas are facing the sea.
Orquillas was speaking at the National Disaster Resilience Month 2026 Regional Resilience Information Caravan at the Pinnacle Hotel and Suites here on July 3.
“Hindi siya applicable for pabahay, kasi pwede siyang maging tatamaan ng mas further earthquake events or storm surge ([the uplifts] are not suitable for housing, because these are vulnerable to further earthquake events or storm surges),” Orquilla said.
Coastal uplift is a geological phenomenon in which portions of the seafloor rise, exposing what were once submerged coral reefs and marine habitats, leading to the altering of a coastline. The uplifts in various parts of Soccsksargen and Davao regions happened due to the June 8 Magnitude 7.8 earthquake.
He said these sites could be recommended for research and educational purposes instead.
“Pwede siguro gawin for research purposes pero hindi na siya pwede for land use or structural or agricultural or kahit na ano, except yan lang sa research for protected area,” Orquillas said.
On June 17, the Philippine News Agency reported that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) warned against building any infrastructure, including houses, on the coastal uplift sites.
PNA quoted Karlo Queaño, DENR-Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Assistant Secretary as telling Radyo Pilipinas, that it is dangerous to live in coastal uplift areas.
“Kaya po rito sa Mindanao, importante na, although uplifted, kailangan po nating maintindihan kung ang dagat po eventually ay bumabalik din po. Kaya sa ganitong sitwasyon, we really discourage na ito ay tayuan at mas maganda nga po gawing siyang (So here in Mindanao, it is important that although uplifted, we need to
understand if the sea will eventually return. So in this situation, we really discourage building on it, and it would be better to make it a) geologic monument,” he said.
The Phivolcs conducted rapid assessment from June 9 to 19 in five provinces (Sarangani, South Cotabato, Davao Occidental, Sultan Kudarat and Davao del Sur), two cities, 21 municipalities, and 110 affected barangays. The team found 42 coastal uplifts, 52 tsunamis, 127 liquefactions, and 471 structures.
The assessment included aerial surveys, field investigations, geologic impacts and hazard assessments, structural damage and intensity surveys, and aftershocks monitoring.
The Phivolcs also installed five temporary seismic stations to improve continuous aftershock monitoring in Glan and Kiamba in Sarangani, Jose Abad Santos in Davao Occidental, Balut Island, Santo Niño in South Cotabato, and Senator Ninoy Aquino in Sultan Kudarat, according to the Philippine Information Office RXII. The monitoring team included geologists, engineers, and social scientists.
In Barangay Balangonan, Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental, coral platforms of around 50 meters wide were exposed after a coral bed was raised by as much as 2.5 meters, according to a post by the Phivolcs-DOST Facebook Page on June 19.
The Balangonan shore is now 200 meters farther from its previous location, the
report said. (Yas D. Ocampo / MindaNews)
