PRESIDENT Marcos on Wednesday morning ordered immediate relief and rehabilitation efforts in Northern Cebu, which was hit by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday night.
The Office of Civil Defense reported that 26 people have been reported killed, 19 in Bogo City, five in the town of San Remigio, and one each in Tabuelan and Medellin.
OCD said 147 people were also reported injured.
Marcos ordered concerned government agencies to deploy immediate aid and emergency funds in the areas of the island province.
Hours after the quake hit, Social Welfare Secretary Rexlon T. Gatchalian, Public Works Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon, Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina A. Roque flew to the province to coordinate government support, according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).
Marcos also directed the Department of Health (DOH) to check the status of the personnel of the medical facilities, which are near the affected areas, so they can assist the quake victims.
‘Doctors, nurses, and staff of the DOH Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) and the DOH Cebu South Medical Center (CSMC) have reported back on their safety. They are now deploying medical teams to nearby areas, especially in Bogo City itself,’ PCO said.
PCO said the Department of the Interior and Local Government has also mobilized personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection and the National Police (PNP) to help search and rescue operations, as well as to prevent looting and maintain order.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it has P379 million in standby funds and has 2.4 million boxes of family food packs (FFPs) prepositioned nationwide, which can be tapped to provide relief to the affected areas.
Of the food packs, 300,000 are spread all over Cebu and ready for immediate distribution, Gatchalian said.
For its part, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the agencies that are responding to the recent disaster may use their Quick Response Funds (QRF) to provide urgent relief and recovery initiatives.
It noted that agencies may seek replenishment from the DBM once their QRF balance has been reduced to at least 50 percent.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the magnitude 6.9 tremor struck at 9:59 p.m. on September 30, with its epicenter located 21 kilometers northeast of Bogo City.
The quake was initially reported as a magnitude 6.7 before being upgraded to 6.9. It had a depth of five kilometers and was tectonic in origin.
The Department of Health (DOH) has deployed medical teams to Bogo City, Cebu, following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake on Tuesday night.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said that the first batch of the emergency response team came from Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City.
In addition, the DOH Cebu South Medical Center (CSMC) on Wednesday has also deployed medical teams not only in Bogo City but in nearby areas.
The DOH Centers for Health Development (CHDs-regional offices) in Central and Eastern Visayas have reported back and are now coordinating with their regional counterparts of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Herbosa said.
Meanwhile, the Red Cross (PRC) has mobilized its ambulances from Cebu, Bogo, and Masbate to assist those affected by the earthquake.
The PRC said that its volunteers continue to respond on the scene to provide essential medical care.
Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez, Jr., acting National Police (PNP) chief, on Wednesday ordered the mobilization of all personnel and resources to maximize the assistance to all affected residents after Tuesday night’s magnitude 6.9 earthquake that jolted the province of Cebu.
Aside from responding to the needs of the affected residents in coordination with local governments (LGUs), Nartatez said policemen were tasked to help secure establishments and vital infrastructure that may have been compromised as a result of the strong earthquake to ensure public safety.
‘Our personnel on the ground were among the first responders, and we assure the people of Cebu that we will extend all the necessary assistance- from securing affected establishments to attending to the needs of the local residents,’ said Nartatez.
The order is in line with Marcos’s directive to ensure fast and reliable government assistance to those in need.
Nartatez directed Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 (Central Visayas) to immediately activate its Disaster Incident Management Task Group and submit a comprehensive report on the impact of the earthquake that struck the Visayas.
He further instructed PRO7 to provide real-time updates to the National Headquarters, particularly on the extent of damage, affected communities, and the operational response being undertaken on the ground.
Nartatez also emphasized the immediate accounting of deployed personnel, logistics readiness, and the conduct of Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (Rdana).
Aside from the province of Cebu, police units in other affected provinces were also instructed to coordinate with the LGUs for any response.
‘We are closely monitoring the development on the ground to maximize police assistance in areas where additional manpower and your PNP is needed,’ said Nartatez.
With the strong magnitude and with reported damage on some establishments, Nartatez said they will place on standby personnel from the Engineering Service for technical assistance to the proper authorities.
‘Our Engineering Service will be on standby for possible rendering of assistance in the structural integrity inspection of buildings and establishments,’ said Nartatez.
Police stations and establishments, he said, will be inspected as part of the efforts to ensure the safety of PNP personnel in Cebu.
He said police forces in the entire province of Cebu were also ordered to keep all their communication lines open for any request for assistance.
Nartatez underscored the importance of close coordination with LGUs, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, and other government agencies to ensure a unified and effective disaster response.
He also reminded the regional office to support local evacuation efforts, secure affected areas, and keep the public properly informed through official advisories.
Additional resources from the National Headquarters and nearby regions are on standby to reinforce PRO7 in safeguarding communities and restoring normalcy at the soonest possible time.
‘Kagabi pa ay tumulong ang PNP at nagpadala tayo ng augmentation force para tumulong sa search and rescue [operations] sa mga apektadong lugar (As early as last night, the PNP deployed an augmentation force to help in search and rescue operations in affected areas,’ Central Visayas police chief Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan said.