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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday personally visited victims of the devastating 6.9-magnitude earthquake in Cebu province to oversee relief efforts and extend immediate assistance to affected residents.

President Marcos arrived in Bogo City, the epicenter of the Sept. 30 powerful earthquake, where he inspected some of the badly damaged structures and interacted with victims.

The President, along with local officials of Cebu province led by Governor Pamela Baricuatro, inspected the collapsed housing units at SM Cares Village in Barangay Polambato, which was established by SM Supermalls in November 2014 as a relocation site for survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda.

Reports indicate that eight bodies have been recovered from collapsed houses in the area.

Marcos afterwards visited the Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish Church of St. Vicente Ferrer in Barangay Bungtod, as the church sustained heavy damage during the earthquake.

The President then went to the City of Bogo Science and Arts Academy in Barangay Cogon, a public school heavily damaged during the earthquake.

He also inspected the Cebu Provincial Hospital in Barangay Taytayan, where he assured patients of immediate relief assistance. The hospital staff have put up makeshift wards at the parking lot to attend to the influx of patients.

The President gave instructions on relief operations to the Cabinet officials who accompanied him, including Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Cristina Frasco, and Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa.

According to the latest report of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the death toll of the earthquake has climbed to 72, of which 30 were from Bogo.

At least 294 are reported injured, all in the Central Visayas region.

The NDRRMC has yet to determine damage to infrastructure and agriculture as of this posting.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) has extended its Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) covering flights near Taal Volcano in Batangas until Friday morning, October 3.

This came after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported on Thursday that two additional eruptions had been observed at the volcano.

In its latest advisory released on Thursday afternoon, Caap said the NOTAM, which covers flights near Taal with vertical limits from the surface up to 11,000 feet, will be in effect until 9 a.m. Friday.

‘Flight operators are strongly advised to avoid flying near the volcano,’ Caap advised airmen.

The aviation authority issued the NOTAM on Wednesday after a minor phreatomagmatic eruption from Taal’s main crater occurred from 2:02 a.m. to 2:15 a.m. that day.

Taal Volcano remains under Alert Level 1.

The second-highest official of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Parliament Speaker Pangalian Balindong, rejoined his Creator at about 1 a.m. Thursday at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Makati City due to an undisclosed illness, his family and regional officials announced.

Balindong was 85 years old.

Balindong, who has led the interim regional legislature since its creation in 2019, would also be buried on Thursday in Lanao del Sur.

BARMM interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua said the regional government mourns the passing of Balindong, the second-highest leader of the Bangsamoro transition government.

‘He was more than a leader-he was a guiding light whose wisdom, humility, and dedication touched the lives of many. His legacy of service to the Bangsamoro will live on in our hearts,’ Macacua said in a statement.

Member of Parliament Naguib Sinarimbo described Balindong as ‘an important pillar of the Bangsamoro struggle who waged it both in and out of government.’

He said Balindong was a pioneering lawyer, together with fellow lawyer Zacaria Candao, in providing legal assistance to the Moro liberation movements.

The Meranaw lawmaker is the eldest son of Sultan Amer Macaorao Balindong, former mayor of the Municipality of Malabang, and Hajjatu Maimona Marohom Balindong.

He obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1966 from Manuel L. Quezon University and passed the bar examinations the following year.

A delegate to the Philippine Constitutional Convention representing the lone district of Lanao del Sur in 1971, Balindong is also a member of the Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa).

He served as legal counsel of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in its peace talks with the government in Libya.

Balindong attended numerous international conventions and conferences on Muslim Filipinos in the Southern Philippines.

He was an assemblyman of the defunct autonomous region from 1993 to 1995 and was later elected as a member of the House of Representatives in the 10th Congress, representing Lanao del Sur’s second district, replacing Sultan Ali Dimaporo.

The Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), Cebu’s major gateway, continued normal operations on Wednesday after inspections showed that its runway was not damaged after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake shook the province on Tuesday night, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) said.

In its latest situational report, the Caap also said other airports in the three regions in the Visayas were not damaged after the earthquake-its epicenter traced in Bogo City in northern Cebu-struck at 9:59 p.m. Tuesday.

Less than an hour after the quake, passengers were evacuated from the MCIA terminal but were later allowed to enter the building after inspection and assessment.

According to the Caap, the MCIA’s tower cab equipment and tower structure were not damaged from the quake.

The Caap, meanwhile, reported a power outage at the airport.

The aviation authority also said their initial inspection and assessment showed that there was no earthquake-related damage reported in Calbayog Airport (Samar), Hilongos Airport (Leyte), Maasin Airport (Leyte), Ormoc Airport (Leyte), and Tacloban Airport (Leyte) in the Eastern Visayas region.

Tourism advisory

Inspection of the runway of the Bacolod-Silay Airport in Negros Occidental province was done on Wednesday.

‘PAL (Philippine Airlines) and Cebu Pacific flights from Manila were temporarily held for landing while runway inspection is ongoing. Safely landed after they were given safe-to-land clearance,’ according to the Caap.

Meanwhile, the Department of Tourism (DOT) has cautioned the public against visiting tourist destinations in parts of Cebu province hit by the earthquake.

‘Tourists are advised to confirm the status of destinations before traveling. Several tourist sites in affected areas may be closed while safety inspections are ongoing,’ the DOT said in an advisory on Wednesday.

Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco flew to Cebu on Wednesday to assess the situation on the ground and check on the well-being of tourism workers affected by the quake.

Frasco, a former mayor of Liloan, Cebu, said she also ordered the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza), the DOT’s implementing arm, to inspect historical churches in the towns of Daanbantayan, Bantayan, Tabogon and San Remigio and other tourism-heavy areas in Cebu City to guide the department on the next steps to protect the tourism industry and the visiting public.

Aside from Tieza, the tourism chief also coordinated with DOT regional directors as well as airport and port officials to find out the status of tourism gateways.

‘These assessments will guide the next steps to ensure safety and provide appropriate support,’ she said in a statement.

Cebu, a top tourist destination in the country, is home to centuries-old heritage sites, including Catholic churches built during the Spanish colonization.

According to reports, among those damaged by the earthquake were the Archdiocesan Shrine of Santa Rosa de Lima in Daanbantayan and Parroquia de San Pedro Apostol on Bantayan Island.

The DOT asked earthquake-affected tourists and industry workers to reach out to the following contact information should they need assistance: Hotline 151-TOUR (8687); mobile number 09542533215; and the live webchat of the DOT on its website (www.tourism.gov.ph).

The total number of reported deaths due to the strong Cebu earthquake increased to 72 on the second day of the temblor’s aftermath. The second day also saw the termination of search and rescue (SAR) operations, prompting authorities to shift its focus to relief and rehabilitation as residents complain of food and water shortage.

All of the fatalities as well as the 294 reported injuries are recorded in the Central Visayas region, while no missing have been recorded, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Due to the absence of reported missing individuals from local government units (LGUs), OCD spokesperson Junie Castillo said they are presumed as ‘accounted for.’

Search teams demobilized

Some private rescue teams are even informed of possible demobilization ‘unless they want to continue helping with relief or debris clearing’ due to lack of reported missing individuals, Castillo said.

OCD deputy administration Rafael Alejandro IV said authorities were scrambling to conduct its search and rescue within the first 24 hours after the earthquake, which occurred at 9:59 p.m on Tuesday.

Bogo City, the epicenter of the earthquake, bore the brunt of the temblor, with almost half of the total number fatalities-or around 30-being recorded from the area.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. went to this quake-stricken city to hold a situational briefing for the earthquake which damaged several heritage churches, billions worth of roads and bridges, hundreds of residential houses and hundreds of classrooms, while causing widespread power outages in the province.

During the briefing, an OCD official reported to Marcos that 597 damaged houses were damaged, with 501 tagged as ‘partially damaged’ and 96 deemed as ‘totally damaged.’

There are still nine impassable roads, five affected bridges, with 10 LGUs experiencing power interruptions, including three LGUs still experiencing telecommunication interruptions, according to the same OCD official.

The same OCD official also told Marcos that the SAR operations have already been terminated.

‘We need food’, ‘We need water’

Nevertheless, aftershocks still remain, which state seismologists said reached a total of 3,081 as of 5:00 p.m., compelling residents to sleep outside.

In Medellin town in northern Cebu, the lack of camping tents, and proper evacuation area left residents still apprehensive of aftershocks to sleep inside plastic bags to protect them from the rain.

Children carrying cardboards begging for food and drinking water were also spotted along the highway in Medellin town.

Residents in Tabuelan town were also reporting lack of food and drinking water, with some children carrying signs saying ‘WE NEED FOOD’ and ‘WE NEED WATER,’ as reported by Cebu Daily News.

Marcos said the government will provide tents with stations for relief goods, waters, and generator sets to 65,000 displaced families in the entire Cebu province.

Marcos seeks emergency funds

During the same briefing, the president also announced over P200 million aid package ‘donation’ for areas affected by the deadly Cebu province earthquake.

Marcos said P50 million will be for the Cebu provincial government, P20 million each for local government unit of Bogo City and towns of San Remigio and Sogod; P10 million each for municipalities of Medellin, Bantayan, Daanbantayan, Madridejos, Santa Fe, Tabogon, and Tabuelan.

Meanwhile, Marcos also said Department of Health-owned hospitals will receive P20 million and P5 million each for LGU-run hospitals affected by the earthquake.

The President also ordered the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to release a government support fund worth P150 million for Cebu and P75 million for San Remigio, Bogo, and Medellin.

‘This is only an initial release; we are contemplating further releases that will be in the pipeline,’ he said of the fund from the DBM.

Marcos also said he will be going to the House and the Senate to ask for allocation of emergency funds to replenish the government’s Quick Response Fund (QRF).

‘We will have it released as quickly as possible,’ Marcos said.

The QRF is a built-in standby fund for agencies that, once depleted, receives replenishment through the approval of the President or the DBM.

The Manila Police District (MPD) reported on Wednesday evening that no explosives were found in the vicinity of De La Salle University (DLSU) – Manila, after a security threat was sent to a student from an unknown source.

‘DECU-MPD (District Explosive and Canine Unit-MPD) conducted threat assessment and paneling operation within the school vicinity, including parked vehicles, comfort rooms, building corridors, and trash bins. No explosive or hazardous materials found during paneling,’ the MPD’s report read.

Despite this, the Malate Police Station will still conduct follow-up inspections on Thursday.

According to DLSU Taft Security Area Supervisor Melchor Sagun, an email in the Cebuano dialect containing a bomb threat was sent to a member of the student government, and was circulating among members of the student body.

‘Warning adunay bomba nga gitanom sa De La Salle University Manila nga makaguba ugma sa buntag, OKTUBRE 2, 2025,’ the email read.

(Warning: there is a bomb planted at De La Salle University Manila that will destroy it on the morning of October 2, 2025.)

In response to the supposed threat, the DLSU Office of the Provost announced on Wednesday evening that it tightened security measures, and shortly after announced that all classes on Thursday would shift to online.

‘Manila Campus shall be closed. To ensure the safety of the students and the whole academic community, DLSU shall continue to implement security measures accordingly,’ the Provost said.

On Thursday, the Provost announced that while the school has been cleared of the threat, it is ‘coordinating with the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) Cybercrime Division for the filing of a case against the perpetrator.)

Onsite work and classes in the university are set to resume on Friday, the Provost added.

It is worth noting that the DLSU University Student Government and the Lasallians Against Corruption have scheduled a walkout against corruption for Thursday afternoon to support the fight against corruption and injustice.

The walkout was postponed due to the temporary closure of the campus.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has conducted a cleanup operation at the Lagarian creek in Brgy. Kalusugan, Quezon City, to mitigate flooding problems in the city during the rainy season.

The clearing operation, which is in coordination with the Quezon City Government, was inspected by MMDA General Manager Undersecretary Procopio Lipana and Quezon City Engineering Department Chief Mark Dale Perral on Thursday.

In an interview with reporters, Lipana emphasized that the 4-kilometer-long Lagarian Creek must be cleared of waste and desilted to enhance water flow and prevent the accumulation of floodwaters during heavy rains.

‘The houses here are almost submerged (in the flood). A lot will be affected by flooding if we don’t desilt this creek,’ he said.

Meanwhile, Perral noted that the Lagarian creek is a critical waterway, since it is upstream of the San Juan River, adding that as for the Roxas District alone, the estimated flood volume can reach around 30,000 cubic meters.

‘If we can desilt it, the capacity of the creek will increase. It will be a big help,’ he said.

The QC engineering chief, meanwhile, noted that they observed that aside from the dumped garbage, the waste found along the creek are mostly belongings of residents that were washed away due to the flood.

Nonetheless, Perral and Lipana appealed to the public to stop dumping waste in wrong places, such as canals and creeks.

Perral affirmed that the Quezon City government has been implementing the resolution recently passed by the Metro Manila Council, where the maximum penalty standard fine for those caught illegally throwing garbage in public places is P5,000.

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson continued to make cryptic posts on X, this time about a ‘crazy cat’ meowing on the ground floor and ‘an annoying dog that keeps barking on the upper floor.’

‘Help! Is there a veterinary clinic with an animal psychiatric ward?’ read his X post on Thursday.

‘We have a crazy cat that keeps meowing on the ground floor and an annoying dog that keeps barking on the upper floor,’ Lacson added.

Incidentally, the senator’s remark came just a day after Sen. Rodante Marcoleta’s privilege speech on the Senate floor about Lacson’s earlier disclosure that almost all senators in the 19th Congress inserted at least P100 billion in the 2025 national budget.

Lacson has already explained to his colleagues in a caucus that his mention of ‘almost all senators’ in his media interviews was not meant to put them or the whole Senate on the spot.

‘The overarching reason for my disclosure or revelation was to point out that we must accept the fact that we are all in crisis owing to the recent anomalies involving the substandard and even ghost flood control projects unearthed in the course of the Blue Ribbon Committee hearings and other similar investigations,’ he said then.

Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III has also clarified that individual or institutional amendments or insertions made during Senate deliberations are part of the regular budget process.

But Marcoleta, in the privilege speech on Monday, noted how Sotto seemed to draw a ‘moral line that insertions were wrong’ when he refused an alleged insertion offer to him in the 2026 budget by the Department of Public Works and Highways Usec. Maria Catalina Cabral.

‘Does this mean that the Senate President never had budget insertions during all the time he served as senator of the Republic and as Senate President for almost five years?’ Marcoleta asked.

Before answering the question, Sotto said he wished Marcoleta had delivered his speech when Lacson was still in the session hall.

‘But nevertheless, to answer his question of whether from my 1992 to the present, have I not had any insertions, I guarantee you I have never made any insertion in the budget. Because insertions are not tolerated and I will never do that.’ the Senate chief said.

Sotto explained that insertions are those that were made during the bicameral conference committee, and not those that were made on second reading on the Senate floor.

‘An insertion is different from an amendment. [An] amendment is legally done during second reading and approved on third reading,’ he pointed out, speaking partly in Filipino.

To ensure transparency in the current and next budget proposals, all amendments of senators would have to be made on the Senate floor.

‘They will own what they amend whatever it is and we will not accept any amendment in the bicameral conference committee,’ Sotto said.

Public satisfaction with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s performance rose in the second quarter of 2025, according to the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released on Tuesday.

The survey, conducted from June 25 to 29, 2025, indicated that the President received the highest gain from those in Balance Luzon and among the 55-year-old and older age group, but his rating remained ‘poor’ among those in the 18- to 24-year-old bracket.

It showed that nearly half, or 46 percent, of adult Filipinos were satisfied with Marcos’ performance, up from 38 percent in April 2025. Thirty-six percent, on the other hand, were dissatisfied, down from 48 percent in the same period. Those who were ‘undecided’ accounted for 19 percent, an increase from April’s 14 percent.

This result translated into a net satisfaction rating of +10 (satisfied minus dissatisfied), which the SWS classifies as ‘moderate.’ It marks a 20-point improvement from the ‘poor’ -10 recorded in April 2025, reversing the steady decline from ‘very good’ +32 in September 2024 to ‘neutral’ +1 in February 2025.

Not numbers alone

Asked for his comment, Marcos appeared to be surprised, saying he was not aware of the improvement in his trust ratings.

‘It’s, of course, nice to note. I didn’t know about that. But now that you tell me, of course I’m glad that it’s that way,’ he told reporters during his visit to Masbate City on Wednesday to lead the distribution of assistance to families affected by Typhoon Opong last week.

‘I guess we just have to keep working. Whatever is happening-whether there’s a storm, a scandal, or unrest-the people always expect the government to continue delivering services, to keep doing its work at every level, both national and local,’ he added.

As public servants, Marcos said, they should be simply working to serve the people, and not be seen as playing games, or engaging in nonsense or politicking.

Gains in all areas

An improvement in the President’s satisfaction ratings was driven by gains across all areas, with the highest recorded in Luzon outside Metro Manila at ‘moderate’ +28, representing a 21-point jump from ‘neutral’ +7 in April 2025.

This was followed by Metro Manila at +1, the Visayas at -2, and Mindanao at -9, all classified as ‘neutral.’ Compared to the previous survey, these reflect increases of seven points from ‘neutral’ -6, nine points from ‘poor’ -11, and 35 points from ‘bad’ -44, respectively.

Marcos’ net satisfaction also improved across both rural and urban areas. In rural areas, it rose by 11 points from -4 to +7, both ‘neutral,’ while in urban areas it climbed by 27 points from ‘poor’ -14 to ‘moderate’ +13.

The President’s net satisfaction rating also rose among all age groups except for those between 18 and 24 years old.

‘Poor’ for Gen Z

Compared to April 2025, net satisfaction with the President among those 55 years and older rose by 23 points from ‘neutral’ +9 to a ‘good’ +32 in the latest survey. It rose six points to ‘neutral’ +5 compared to ‘neutral’ -1 among 45- to 54-year-olds.

For 35 to 44-year-olds, his net satisfaction was at ‘neutral’ +5, up by 18 points from ‘poor’ -13 in April 2025. It also rose by 43 points to ‘neutral’ +4 from ‘bad’ -39 among 25 to 34-year-olds.

Meanwhile, it hardly moved at ‘poor’ -18 from ‘poor’ -19 among the 18 to 24-year-olds, or those from Generation Z.

The survey was conducted among 1,200 adults using face-to-face interviews and had a sampling margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percent for national percentages and plus-or-minus 6 percent for Metro Manila, Visayas, Mindanao, and Luzon outside Metro Manila.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said it will remain on full alert in Cebu even as search and rescue operations ended in the wake of the magnitude 6.9 earthquake in the province.

‘The search and retrieval operations were stopped last night because their search for the injured ended. All the missing individuals have been accounted for,’ PNP public information chief Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño said in a press briefing in Camp Crame on Thursday.

‘That’s why our concentration is now just relief and rehab operations. That’s why the PNP is still on full alert,’ he added.

This came after the Office of Civil Defense also stated that some rescue teams have been informed they may demobilize and continue assisting with relief operations.

The PNP also stated that it has yet to receive reports of violence and looting in the aftermath of the earthquake and that the Central Visayas police have increased their deployment from 1,356 officers to 2,250 officers to bolster relief and rehabilitation efforts.

At least 72 individuals were reported dead and 294 were reported injured, according to the latest National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) situational report on Thursday morning.

However, the NDRRMC noted that these casualties have yet to be validated.