COTABATO CITY (February 22, 2026) — Units of the Army’s 10th Infantry Battalion have been mobilized to support relief operations for villagers displaced by landslides and floods that swept through low-lying areas in four provinces in Mindanao following heavy downpours from Wednesday, February 18, until early Friday, February 20.

Eight villagers were confirmed killed in landslides in two towns in Davao de Oro and in Mati City in Davao Oriental in Region 11 as a result of the torrential rains that also spawned floods in Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur provinces in Region 13.

Soldiers from three units of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, the 25th, 66th and 67th Infantry Battalions have initially assisted local government units in Davao de Oro, Davao Oriental, Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur in relocating to safe areas more than 2,000 families affected by the floods and landslides.

Mayor Joel Almario of Mati City, the capital of Davao Oriental, confirmed on Friday that four members of a family in Barangay Salazar in the city were killed after mud and rocks that cascaded from a hillside, loosened by rains, hit and destroyed their house, made only of semi-permanent materials.

Provincial officials in Davao de Oro were also quoted in radio reports as saying that a small-scale miner was also killed in another landslide in Pantukan, Davao de Oro.

Three villagers were also buried alive in a landslide in Monkayo in the same province on Thursday night, according to provincial officials.

Major Gen. Alvin Luzon, commander of the Army’s 10th ID, and his subordinate-officers separately told reporters on Saturday that personnel of their units are still out in the calamity-stricken areas, supporting emergency response operations of LGUs.

“We have more than enough personnel we can mobilize for emergency response and calamity mitigation operations if needed,” Luzon said.

Personnel of different line agencies, LGU officials and soldiers have reopened the roads that got blocked with fallen trees, mud and rocks from hillsides during operations in the past two days.