By Joseph Jubelag GENERAL SANTOS CITY – Disaster officials have Central Mindanao under red alert status following the 6.6-magnitude earthquake that jolted several parts of the region on Tuesday that left at least nine people dead. Office employees gather outside of buildings after a powerful earthquake was felt in Davao City, Philippines Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019. (AP Photo/ MANILA BULLETIN) Jerome Barranco, assistant regional director of the Office of Civil Defense-12, said the red alert status was declared in the aftermath of the major destructions caused by the strong earthquake which occurred almost two weeks after a 6.4-magnitude tremor hit several parts of Mindanao last October 16. Barranco said the OCD had directed all local disaster risk reduction management councils in Region 12 to activate their respective incident command team and emergency operation center to handle the disaster response and relief operations in their localities. “We’re expecting more aftershocks and possible increase on the extent of damage,” Barranco said. He said search and rescue units from the 54 local government units in Region 12 have been tapped for deployment in affected areas. He said the OCD had asked the Department of Public Works and Highways to conduct damage assessment and inspection on public school buildings and government offices to ensure that their structures are safe for occupancy. Allan Farnazo, Department of Education regional director, ordered the suspension of classes in all levels on Tuesday and Wednesday. Disaster officials said the recent tremor is expected to aggravate the damage caused by the October 16 earthquake which destroyed some 3,700 residential houses and displaced more than 5,000 families in Region 12. READ MORE: Strong quake hits Mindanao anew