The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Cebu Province made clear that there are no missing persons reported in Bogo City following the 6.9-magnitude earthquake, contradicting an earlier situational report released by the Cebu Provincial Government.
DILG provincial director Jesus Robel Sastrillo Jr. said the supposed report of three missing individuals was based only on a request for verification from the consul general of the Philippine Embassy in Paris, France.
The consul general had asked for updates on the whereabouts of Gemma Largabo, Ledito Largabo, and Eriana Largabo, allegedly residents of Barangay Binabag, Bogo City, after their relatives in Paris raised concerns that they could not be contacted.
According to Sastrillo, the request was forwarded by police attaché Colonel Rodolfo Castro Jr. to the DILG for proper validation on the ground.
‘This is not about missing. This pertains to the request,’ Sastrillo stressed during a media interview.
He said the confusion may have stemmed from the initial situational report that treated the request as if it were a verified report of missing persons.
To settle the matter, DILG field officers immediately conducted verification with barangay officials and through the Registry of Barangay Inhabitants (RBI).
The field validation showed that the three names were not listed as casualties or as residents of Bogo City.
Barangay captains and officials of Bogo also confirmed that no family with the surname ‘Largabo’ lives in their communities.
‘All barangay captains were asked, and no such names exist in their RBI. This means there is no such case of missing persons in Bogo City,’ Sastrillo explained.
He also pointed out that the consul general’s inquiry may have involved distant relatives who had already moved to another local government unit and were no longer residents of Bogo.
Sastrillo emphasized that this incident highlights the need for situational reports to be carefully verified with the DILG and barangays before being made official to avoid public confusion.
‘The situational report was unofficial and partial. It should have been validated first. That’s why I stressed this during our council meeting yesterday,’ he said.
Meanwhile, the verified death toll in Cebu Province due to the earthquake has climbed to 72 as of October 6, according to DILG.
The fatalities were 32 in Bogo City, 14 in Medellin, 15 in San Remigio, five in Tabogon, two in Borbon, two in Tabuelan, one in Sogod, and one in Oslob. The Oslob casualty, though far from the epicenter, was declared earthquake-related after the victim lost balance and fatally struck his head.
With the clarification, the DILG assured that all future reports will be subject to strict cross-checking with barangay officials and field officers to ensure accuracy in disaster response information.