A powerful and deeply destructive magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the southern coast of Mindanao, Philippines, early Monday morning, triggering urgent coastal evacuations, cutting power grids, and leaving a trail of severe structural damage in major urban hubs. According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the violent tremor hit at 07:37 AM local time, centered offshore just south of Sarangani province. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) mapped the depth of the quake at 55.2 km (34.3 miles). It registers as the strongest earthquake to strike the Philippines in over three decades, drawing immediate, widespread comparison to the…