The reported death toll of the September 30 magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Cebu has gone up to 71, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.
However, the agency said in its Sunday morning situation report that the count is still up for validation.
In the same report, the NDRRMC said 559 were reported injured, but the number is also still up validation.
NDRRMC added that 128,464 families or 455,631 individuals were affected by the earthquake.
A total of 405 families of 1,251 individuals are now housed in four evacuation centers.
The agency said eight road sections and 15 bridges were affected, with four roads and seven bridges remaining still unpassable on Sunday morning.
Power, NDRRMC said, has been restored in 43 localities but 48 towns and cities remain without electricity also as of Sunday morning.
The tremblor, NDRRMC said also affected communication facilities in 17 towns and cities and service has been restored in seven.
Of the three seaports affected, one has already become operational, it added.
Navy brings in materials
THE Navy (PN) on Sunday announced that one of its transport vessels, the BRP Agta (LC-290) successfully conducted a humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) and brought 44.66 tons of construction materials were transported to th similarly devastated Masbate City, Masbate on October. 4.
The Navy Public Affairs Office chief, Capt. Benjo Negranza, said the hip departed Ouano Wharf, Mandaue City, Cebu on October 3, carrying essential construction materials intended to support the recovery and rehabilitation of communities severely affected by Severe Tropical Storm Opong.
This mission was made possible through the support of the Tanging Yaman Foundation, Incorporated, which coordinated with the PN to deliver much-needed aid to the disaster-stricken areas, Negranza added.
Meanwhile, Negranza said another PN vessel, the BRP Dagupan City (LS-551), departed Cavite on October 4, carrying 18,000 kilograms of relief goods bound for communities affected by the recent 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Cebu and nearby provinces.
Onboard are food packs, bottled water, hygiene kits, sleeping mats, and other essential relief items consolidated by the Civil Military Operations Group of the Navy (CMOG-PN) through the generous donations of private stakeholders and partner organizations.
This effort forms part of the Navy’s HADR mission to support earthquake-stricken areas.
BRP Dagupan City also transported one chemical truck, two mobile showers, one disaster response truck, two ambulances, and one special rescue vehicle provided by the Valenzuela City DRMMO, along with additional donations from Manila Water, Civil Military Operations Regiment of the Army (PA) and the Naval Reserve Center.
Transparent relief, rehab through tech
THE provincial government of Cebu has tapped University of Cebu (UC) students to help them develop an app that logs and pins requests for relief following the massive arthquake that struck the province last Sept. 30.
Dr. Nikki Catalan, health consultant of the provincial government, this app will be linked with the relief tracker of the local government.
The public, she added, will now ‘see what’s needed, where help is going, and in the long run, track rehabilitation together.’
‘Stay tuned as we continue building a more transparent and united way to bring aid where it’s needed most,’ she added.
UC students, who are taking up a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, developed the ‘Cebu Relief App’ (https://cebu-calamity-response.vercel.app) three days ago in an aim to connect those in need with those who can help.
This app, developed by Clint Alonzo, Ralph Adriane Dilao, and Vince Clave, is a platform that connects victims of calamities.
Victims of calamities may use their app to pin their location to request urgent relief. Here, they could input their needs, such as food, water, medicine, shelter, and other essentials.
Volunteers and responders can also use the app to requests and view details by clicking the pinned locations in real-time on the map.
‘This isn’t just any app-it’s Bayanihan made digital. Every pin represents a family. Every pin represents a life,’ Alonzo said in a post on his Facebook account.
The availability of the app comes in handy especially at a time when the major roads in northern Cebu suffer a gridlock as more and more private individuals and groups travel there to bring relief causing a massive traffic jam.
Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro appealed to the public to have donations centralized as she admits delivery of relief has slowed down due to the traffic gridlock.
More cops sent to help
THE National Police (PNP) on Sunday announced that it has sent more personnel and assets to ensure that the distribution of relief goods and items to quake-battered communities in Cebu are done as expedtiously as possible.
In a statement, the acting PNP Chief, Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., said focus will be on northern areas badly battered by the earthquake.
‘The quick response and continuous hard work of our personnel on the ground not only paved the way for government assistance reaching more affected communities, especially in the northern part of Cebu, but also resulted in the gradual restoration of normalcy in the entire province,’ he said.
Nartatez said the PNP is coordinating closely with the Cebu provincial government and local disaster response teams to streamline relief distribution to remote communities.
He added that PNP officers are assisting in logistics, road clearing, security and traffic management to prioritize the transport of relief items.
Nartatez added that several mobility assets, including high-speed watercraft from the Maritime Group, have been dispatched to isolated areas.
Govt team eyes safe zones
A GOVERNMENT housing team has been deployed to northern Cebu to survey areas devastated by last week’s earthquake and locate safe ground for residents displaced by landslides and damaged homes.
Officials from the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) met with local disaster councils in Bogo City on Saturday to map out possible relocation sites for affected families.
The city is among the worst hit by the magnitude 6.8 tremor that struck on Tuesday.
The team visited Purok Joseph in Barangay Dakit, where several houses had collapsed near what geologists believed was part of the fault line that triggered the quake. Residents in the area remain in makeshift tents as local officials search for safer ground.
One of the proposed sites, a vacant lot within the city, is being considered for a temporary ‘tent city’ to house families who have yet to return home.
Housing Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling earlier directed the agency’s regional office to conduct field surveys and identify the kind of shelter support the government can provide.
The quake killed more than 70 people and injured hundreds, according to disaster officials.
More than 47,000 families were affected across Cebu, with widespread damage reported in northern towns following intense ground shaking and secondary landslides.
Dole allocates P11-M Tupad aid
AN initial P11 million in emergency employment aid has been allocated for workers affected by last week’s magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Cebu, the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) said.
In a statement over the weekend, Dole said the amount will fund the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers (Tupad) program for 1,513 beneficiaries whose jobs or livelihoods were disrupted by the quake.
Tupad is a short-term employment program that provides temporary income to workers affected by disasters, economic shocks, or displacement.
Under the scheme, beneficiaries are hired for community-based work such as clearing debris, cleaning roads, or helping restore damaged public facilities in their localities.
They are also paid based on the highest prevailing minimum wage in the region.
According to Dole-Central Visayas, the initial batch of beneficiaries includes 862 workers from Cebu, 163 from San Remigio, 163 from Medellin, 81 from Sogod, 81 from Daan-Bantayan, and 163 from Bogo City.
Another 400 workers from the towns of Medellin and Tabogon are also set to receive their Tupad wages amounting to P2.004 million.
Dole said it is prioritizing aid for workers whose employment was displaced or interrupted by the calamity, includinng those from the micro, small, and medium enterprise sector.
The agency’s Cebu Provincial Office has already deployed personnel to profile affected individuals and continuously assess the situation in coordination with local government units.
The department has yet to release the total number of affected workers across the region.
Workers’ safety
LABOR Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma reminded employers in Cebu that workers’ safety and health should come first ‘more than anything else.’
‘Safety should always be considered, and the measures to ensure it should be the one undertaken-not simply to prohibit them [from leaving],’ Laguesma said in a recent interview.
His reminder came after the BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN)-Cebu denounced alleged violations of occupational safety and labor standards by BPO firms during the September 30 earthquake. (Related: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2025/10/02/cebu-bpo-workers-file-complaint-against-unsafe-post-quake-policies/).
Among the reported incidents were claims that one company required agents to continue taking calls while the quake was ongoing, while another allegedly blocked exits on one floor to prevent workers from leaving.
Employees who refused to report for work were reportedly issued notices to explain, stripped of attendance incentives, and subjected to administrative sanctions.
Laguesma also clarified that BIEN-Cebu did not file a formal complaint, contrary to earlier claims in the workers’ statement.
He said the group only filed a letter requesting a dialogue, which is set to take place on Monday.
‘We also need to see which companies are involved so that our actions will be fair and impartial. This will help us determine the appropriate measures to take if it is proven that there were erring employers,’ Laguesma said.