By Brian Campued
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed concerned government agencies to mobilize and provide immediate assistance to affected communities following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that jolted Cebu province late Tuesday, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said.
The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Operations Center (RDRRMOC) Central Visayas has raised its alert status to “red” following the magnitude 6.9 offshore quake in Northern Cebu.
According to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 7, a virtual emergency operations center has also been activated to ensure close monitoring, maximize coordination, and timely updating among members of the regional council, response clusters, and the local government units affected.
OCD7 Regional Director and Central Visayas Regional DRRM Council Chairperson, Dir. Joel Erestain also assured Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro that the RDRRMC is ready to provide support, assistance, and augmentation to address the immediate needs of the LGUs affected.
Baricuatro likewise deployed medical and relief teams to Bogo City, with continuous coordination with neighboring provincial governments for additional medical staff and provision of relief goods and hygiene kits.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has also mobilized all of its personnel and resources to assist and respond to all affected residents in Cebu and nearby provinces.
Aside from responding to the needs of the affected residents in coordination with LGUs, acting PNP Chief PLt.Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. 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.
The Department of Health (DOH), through the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) and the Cebu South Medical Center (CSMC), has deployed medical teams to conduct emergency response in Bogo City and other affected areas.
“Similarly, the DOH Centers for Health Development (CHD) regional offices in Central and Eastern Visayas have reported back and are now coordinating with their regional counterparts in the Office of Civil Defense (OCD),” the PCO said.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 7 is also coordinating with LGUs to provide resource augmentation. The FO currently has over P41 million worth of relief resources, including 52,899 family food packs (FFPs) and 12,319 non-food items.
According to DSWD Sec. Rex Gatchalian, the agency has about P379 million in standby funds and 2.4 million boxes of family food packs prepositioned nationwide, including the Visayas Disaster Response Center (VDRC) in Mandaue City. The Department also has enough stockpiles of non-food items ready to be distributed to affected LGUs.
“Our disaster quick response teams (QRTs) at the Central and Field Offices are on alert and have already reached out to the LGUs to assist the affected families. We know that our fellow Filipinos who had been affected are in need of urgent assistance,” Gatchalian said.
“We want to say to the affected families and individuals that we are one with you. We assure you of our assistance and help in this time of great need,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) instructed its regional offices in Central and Eastern Visayas to coordinate with regional counterparts from the OCD to identify areas where DBM assistance is needed.
Government agencies are also reminded that they may seek replenishment of their quick response funds once the balance has been reduced to at least 50%.
As of 8:00 a.m, Wednesday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said it is currently validating reports of 26 deaths and 147 persons injured in Bogo City, Cebu and other nearby provinces. (with reports from Kenneth Paciente, Ryan Lesigues, and Patrick de Jesus / PTV News)
-jpv
