Bohol, South Cotabato send personnel to quake-hit Cebu

Local

OTHER provinces are mobilizing aid to northern Cebu following the devastating 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Tuesday night.

Bohol and South Cotabato have already dispatched relief teams and assistance to support affected communities.

The provincial government of Bohol is sending P5 million in financial aid along with a 16-member team of medical and rescue personnel, two ambulances, and a rescue vehicle.

The relief team will depart Bohol at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Governor Aris Aumentado said the deployment aims to help Cebu recover while local agencies simultaneously assessed Bohol’s own situation.

Bohol reported only minor damage from the quake, including small cracks in some school buildings in Sevilla, Balilihan, Ubay, Bien Unido, and Guindulman, which engineers deemed non-hazardous.

Hospitals remain fully operational, and the temporary evacuation of 87 patients at Gov. Celestino Gallares Medical Center in Tagbilaran City ended after engineers confirmed the building’s safety.

Road networks remain largely passable, though Castel Bridge allows only light vehicles, and Borja Bridge operates on a single-lane basis.

South Cotabato is also extending humanitarian assistance. Governor Reynaldo Tamayo ordered the deployment of rescue and medical teams and relief goods, including food, hygiene kits, and kitchen essentials.

He said the relief items would leave early Wednesday morning, and the teams and supplies would operate under the direction of Cebu Gov. Pam Baricuatro or her designated incident command center.

Rolly Doane Aquino, head of South Cotabato’s Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), said his office prepared the relief goods immediately and will transport them by airplane to Cebu.

Aquino added that his office is coordinating with the Cebu provincial government and PDRRMO counterparts to determine where to deploy responders and aid.

He emphasized that the province’s efforts reflect its readiness and the enduring “bayanihan” spirit of South Cotabateños.

The earthquake struck at 9:59 p.m., with its epicenter 21 kilometers northeast of Bogo City at a shallow depth of 5 kilometers.

Meanwhile, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival pledged to double monetary donations and established collection centers at Cebu City Hall and the Cebu City Public Library to accept cash, relief goods, and necessities.

City personnel, alongside the Department of Social Welfare and Services and the City Treasurer’s Office, are issuing official receipts for donations.

Three ambulances and four personnel from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office were deployed to assist in transporting patients to Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

Phivolcs initially recorded the tremor at magnitude 6.7 before upgrading it to 6.9, while the U.S. Geological Survey first reported it as 7.0. The quake damaged heritage churches and other structures and caused power outages in parts of central Philippines.

Authorities warned that additional fatalities could occur due to the significant destruction in northern Cebu.(MyTVCebu)