President Marcos will ask lawmakers for emergency funds to help the communities affected by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that devastated Cebu.
Marcos yesterday visited the quake-hit areas to inspect damaged structures, oversee relief operations and provide aid to survivors.
He arrived in Bogo City near the epicenter of the Sept. 30 earthquake, conducted site visits, talked to some of the affected residents and attended a situation briefing by disaster management officials.
‘I will be going to the Congress, the House and the Senate, so they can provide emergency funds,’ the President said during a situation briefing at the Bogo City Hall.
‘The QRF of some agencies is about to be depleted. So we will release the. quick response fund we are using (so we can respond) immediately,’ he added.
Marcos noted that the country was hit by two successive strong cyclones Nando and Opong before it was struck by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake. He assured local governments that his administration would have the QRF released as quickly as possible.
The Office of the President donated about P200 million to affected local governments and hospitals to support their relief and medical efforts. Cebu City received P50 million financial aid, while Bogo City, San Remigio and Sogod got P20 million each. The towns of Bantayan, Daanbantayan, Madridejos, Medellin, Santa Fe, Tabogon and Tabuelan were given P10 million each. All hospitals under the health department will receive P20 million while provincial hospitals will be provided with P5 million each.
‘I assured all of our local executives that this is not a one-time aid… We will continue to monitor. We will continue to coordinate with the leaders, the local leadership to make sure that the rehabilitation will run smoothly,’ the President said.
Marcos also directed the budget department to release P150 million in Local Government Support Fund to the Cebu provincial government and P75 million each to the local governments of San Remigio, Bogo City and Medellin.
The administration will also give P10,000 cash assistance for those whose homes were damaged by the quake.
Overall, Marcos ordered the giving of more than P600 million assistance from his office and the budget department.
Before the situation briefing, Marcos visited the collapsed housing units at SM Cares Village in Barangay Polambato, the Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish Church of St. Vicente Ferrer in Barangay Bungtod, the City of Bogo Science and Arts Academy in Barangay Cogon and the Cebu Provincial Hospital in Barangay Taytayan.
Tent city
Noting that the displaced residents remain fearful of returning to damaged buildings, Marcos directed agencies to set up a ‘tent city’ in Bogo City to provide temporary shelters to affected residents.
‘We are fast-tracking this so they can have shelter. Many are afraid to go back to buildings. They prefer to stay outdoors,’ the Chief Executive said.
‘That’s what they want, so we will follow that. So, that’s why our proposal is the tent city.’
The government intends to tap the Philippine Red Cross to deploy its medical field tents, which were used during the COVID-19 pandemic as staging and isolation wards. Marcos gave an assurance that there would be facilities and vital supplies like food, water and electricity at the site of the tent cities.
The energy department had also given assurance that the entire Bogo City in Cebu would be reenergized within the day, the President added.
The death toll from the magnitude 6.9 earthquake has reached 72, while the number of injured persons has climbed to 366 as of yesterday.
About 65,000 families in Cebu have been affected by the quake.
VP Sara visits Cebu
Vice President Sara Duterte is currently in Cebu to ‘extend her sympathies’ to those affected by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake.
Duterte visited the wake of one of the victims who died during the powerful quake. ‘We ask God to grant comfort to those who have lost loved ones, and to provide relief and strength for those holding their families together amid property loss and damage. May you find strength in one another, and may the legendary Visayan warmth and resilience shine through amidst this deep sorrow,’ Duterte said.
Duterte and President Marcos did not meet in Cebu where they both visited the province.
She arrived in Cebu on Wednesday afternoon to personally extend her sympathies to residents and meet with local officials, assuring them of sustained assistance from her office.
On Wednesday, the OVP Cebu satellite office distributed relief goods to the victims of the strong quake in San Remigio Sports Complex. The OVP distributed food packs, potable water, hygiene kits and other non-food essentials to affected families in Medellin, San Remigio, Bogo, Tabuelan and Tabogon.
Aid
The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday announced it will apply the zero-balance billing program to benefit those injured in the earthquake.
Health Secretary Ted Herbosa has ordered the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to shoulder the expenses of patients who were injured in the earthquake and admitted in private hospitals.
‘I already ordered the PCEO (president and chief executive officer) of PhilHealth to make possible coverage of the hospitalization of injured victims that were brought to private hospitals,’ Herbosa yesterday said in a radio interview. ‘I also wanted for private hospitals to help so I will just have PhilHealth take care of the patients that cannot be accommodated in public hospitals.’
According to Herbosa, to make this possible, they checked on a ‘similar issuance’ made during the time he was still undersecretary of the department. ‘We will have this modified for (the situation in) Bogo,’ he added.
Meanwhile, Health Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo said three DOH hospitals in the province – the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, the Cebu South Medical Center and the Eversley Childs Sanitarium and General Hospital are fully functional.
The 72 victims who died in Tuesday night’s quake that struck Cebu don’t have to worry about burying their loved ones after the Department of Social Welfare and Development vowed to shoulder the burial expenses of their families.
‘The DSWD in Central Visayas is now accounting the number of casualties and their location. Our social workers will also talk to the concerned families to inform them that the DSWD will shoulder the burial expenses of their loved ones,’ spokesperson Irene Dumlao disclosed.
The assistant secretary of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group likewise said the department’s Field Office 7 – Central Visayas will also be providing P10,000 cash assistance to the families.
The DSWD has intensified its disaster response operations for families affected by the earthquake, according to Assistant Secretary Leo Quintilla, OIC of the DSWD’s National Resource and Logistics Management Bureau.
Quintilla said the department has ensured the delivery of food, water, shelter, and psychosocial services to quake-hit communities, while also preparing for early recovery interventions such as the emergency cash transfer program.
For its part, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has intensified relief efforts to provide quick assistance to quake victims.
PCSO general manager Mel Robles directed their branch offices and authorized agent corporations in the rapid delivery of donations such as food and other essential items to the Cebu provincial government on Wednesday.
Charitimba food packs are part of the initial relief efforts. Evaluation supply kits, including mosquito nets, plastic mats, blankets, slippers, flashlights, pillows, towels and other necessities, have also been airlifted via C-130 aircraft on Wednesday afternoon to support survivors.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Philippines said it is ready to support the government-led response following the quake.
‘In times of crisis, children are among the most vulnerable. We remain committed to working with national and local authorities to ensure their safety, protection and access to essential services as they recover and rebuild after emergencies, including this earthquake and the recent and upcoming series of storms and typhoons,’ UNICEF said.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Manila city government sent help for relief efforts following the powerful earthquake that rocked the northern part of Cebu.
The MMDA deployed an 18-man contingent from the Public Safety Division and Road Emergency Group. The team would carry solar-powered water purifiers to provide clean water, life locators, battery-operated extrication equipment, trauma bags and various clearing tools, including chainsaws and dump trucks, according to MMDA Chairman Romando Artes.
Joining the team are K9 dogs ‘to assist in earthquake response and rescue operations (and) trained to locate people trapped under rubble or debris using their sense of smell,’ he said further.
For its part, the Manila city government would also send a ‘contingent of doctors and nurses, along with medical supplies and the Manila City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office’ to Cebu, announced Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso. The team from Manila would ‘distribute relief goods, provide medical assistance and coordinate with local authorities for faster and more orderly response to the needs of affected residents.’
The Pasig City government will also send aid to Cebu, Mayor Vico Sotto said, adding that five teams will be deployed in areas in Cebu to assist in disaster response operations in areas heavily affected by the earthquake.
These are composed of search and rescue, mass disaster management, medical, psychosocial first aid and infrastructure audit teams.
Sotto said there are discussions with the city disaster risk reduction and management council for the approval of financial assistance for local government units that are under a state of calamity.
A total of 100 police personnel and firefighters from Negros Island have been dispatched to Cebu to assist in the ongoing search and rescue operations in areas devastated by the quake.
P/Lt. Col. Joem Malong, spokesperson for the Police Regional Office- Negros Island Region, said 80 police personnel are trained in disaster response and emergency operations and comes fully equipped with the necessary rescue equipment. The Bureau of Fire Protection – Negros Island Region also dispatched 20 of its personnel to Bogo City.
A 19-man rescue and relief team mobilized by the Zamboanga City local government is scheduled arrive Thursday in quake-hit Bogo City in Cebu, to assist in the humanitarian mission.
Mayor Khymer Olaso dispatched the team with two rescue trucks transporting parts of the 1,000 sacks of rice, 1,000 boxes of canned goods, 1,000 jerry cans of water and two ambulances. The convoy of the rescue and relief team is expected to arrive in Cebu by 6 p.m. Thursday.
The Coast Guard District Southwestern Mindanao has also deployed two of its 44-meter vessels to provide additional support to the ongoing relief missions in Cebu province and affected areas in Visayas.