FOLLOWING earthquakes that hit Bogo City, Cebu; Manay, Davao Oriental; and other areas, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro directed government agencies and local governments (LGUs) to intensify earthquake preparedness measures through regular drills, infrastructure audits, and retrofitting of critical facilities.
In Memorandum 279 dated October 15, Teodoro ordered the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and all Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils (RDRRMCs) to ‘immediately intensify earthquake risk reduction measures while ensuring public service continuity.’
Teodoro sits as chairman of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
Regional DRRMCs, chaired by OCD Regional Directors, were tasked to coordinate these activities and ‘assess the performance of LGU Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management [LDRRM] Offices, in coordination with the OCD and the Department of the Interior and Local Government [DILG], and provide performance evaluations to both agencies.’
Teodoro also ordered RDRRMCs to consult with the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-Phivolcs) for technical support.
Earlier this month, during a National Inter-Agency Coordinating Cell (Niacc) meeting, Teodoro directed the review of local contingency plans ‘to ensure all established disaster protocols of LGUs within their Area of Responsibility (AOR) are validated, and up-to-date.’
The OCD said it ‘continues to collaborate with various agencies and LGUs to enhance the country’s disaster preparedness amid the ongoing threats of hazards and disasters.’
Locatd in the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines is frequented by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The series of earthquakes and aftershocks in Bogo City and the doublet earthquakes near Manay town in Davao Oriental claimed the lives of 79 and eight people, respectively.
A total of 217,012 families or 743,379 persons in 260 barangays of the province’s 18 cities and municipalities were affected due to the 6.9 Offshore Northern Cebu Earthquake. On the other hand, the 7.4 and 6.8 doublet earthquakes near Manay town, on the other hand, affected a total of 345,057 families or 1,467,803 persons in 675 barangays in 60 cities and towns.
In both events, thousands of houses were destroyed or damaged, leaving many of the victims homeless.
More funds for disaster aid, more homes
THE Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) is seeking to raise disaster shelter aid for families affected by recent calamities.
DHSUD proposed a P4-billion Integrated Disaster Shelter Assistance Program (Idsap) fund for 2026, saying that this would help speed up recovery efforts in areas hit by strong earthquakes in recent months.
As of October, the agency reported P199.15 million in released IDSAP funds, covering 8,241 partially damaged and 3,551 totally damaged houses.
The department also recommended a P500-million Quick Response Fund for the National Housing Authority (NHA) to support emergency shelter repair and immediate assistance in disaster-stricken communities.
In a Senate budget hearing last week, Housing Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling said easing the housing backlog and strengthening post-disaster support remain among the agency’s top priorities.
‘We streamlined the process for developers to get permits and clearances,’ Aliling said in Filipino. ‘The price ceiling for socialized housing is also due for adjustment this October, which we expect will encourage the private sector to produce more inventory.’
Under the Marcos administration, total housing provision, both direct and indirect, has reached 399,671 units as of October. The agency projects that figure to climb to 734,005 by 2028, with 300,106 units coming from direct programs and 433,899 from indirect financing.
The NHA accounted for 50,757 completed units, the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) for 30,840, and DHSUD’s flagship Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) program for 18,826 under direct housing provision.
Meanwhile, the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund) produced 295,923 units and the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC) 3,325 through indirect financing.
To expand the delivery of housing programs, DHSUD has asked the upper chamber to increase the NHA’s budget from P2.2 billion to P10 billion and the SHFC’s allocation from P166 million to P500 million.
For the first half of 2025, DHSUD reported P2.98 billion in appropriations, with 23 percent obligated and 88 percent of funds already disbursed.
The agency earlier acknowledged that limited funds and supply-side hurdles have slowed housing targets.
Under the Philippine Development Plan, only about 300,000 units are expected to be completed by 2028-far below the original goal of addressing the 3 million-unit backlog.