President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. flew to Cebu province on Thursday to inspect the devastation left by the magnitude-6.9 earthquake that struck last Tuesday night, as officials confirmed the death toll had climbed to 72.

Rescuers tallied 294 people injured and nearly 600 houses damaged across the north of Cebu island. The regional Office of Civil Defense (OCD) estimated more than 110,000 people in 42 communities will need assistance to rebuild their homes and restore their livelihoods. 

Thousands of displaced residents are sleeping on the streets or in makeshift shelters as aftershocks continue to shake the province.

Firefighters pulled survivors from the rubble of a collapsed hotel in Bogo City, near the quake’s epicenter. One woman and her child were rescued overnight, though three others were retrieved lifeless. 

In Bogo, 18-year-old Diane Madrigal and 14 neighbors have taken refuge in a village chapel after their homes collapsed.

“The entire wall (of my house) fell so I really don’t know how and when we can go back again,” Madrigal said. “I am still scared of the aftershocks, it feels like we have to run again.”

Mother-of-four Lucille Ipil, 43, lined up with dozens of residents for scarce water supplies. 

“The earthquake really ruined our lives. Water is important for everyone. We cannot eat, drink or bathe properly,” she said. “We really want to go back to our old life before the quake but we don’t know when that will happen. Rebuilding takes a long time.”

At the Cebu provincial hospital in Bogo, dozens of patients were being treated in tents. “I’d rather stay here under this tent. At least I can be treated,” said 22-year-old Kyle Malait, waiting for her dislocated arm to be tended to.

Marcos pledged over P600 million in financial aid for Cebu’s recovery. Cebu province will receive P50 million, while Bogo City, the hardest-hit area, will get P20 million. 

The municipalities of San Remigio and Sogod will receive P20 million each. Other local governments —Bantayan, Daanbantayan, Madridejos, Medellin, Santa Fe, Tabogon and Tabuelan — were allocated P10 million each. 

Local government-run hospitals were allotted P5 million each, while Department of Health facilities will get P20 million. Displaced families are set to receive P10,000 each in assistance.

Tent city

“If they need it again, it might happen again. We’ll see how our recovery goes,” Marcos said, assuring local officials that the support will continue. 

“We will continue to monitor [the situation]. We will continue to coordinate with the local leadership to make sure the process of rehabilitation is good and all the support that we give is used well,” he added.

The President inspected the ruins of the Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish Church of St. Vicente Ferrer, the City of Bogo Science and Arts Academy, and the Cebu Provincial Hospital. 

He ordered the setting up of a tent city to house the 65,000 displaced families, saying that evacuation centers had been destroyed or were unsafe. 

Marcos said Philippine Red Cross chair and former senator Richard Gordon pledged to provide large tents.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development said that Cebu is the distribution hub for family food packs, with some 300,000 boxes ready. 

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said mobile kitchens and water purifiers have been deployed. “All we need from the governor and the mayors will be where to deliver them. But rest assured we have more than enough food packs,” he said.

The power supply has been partly restored in Bogo. Marcos cited the Department of Energy that assured that electricity to hospitals was sustained using generators, and that cooperatives were working feeder by feeder to safely restore electrical lines to households. 

“This is quite fast that we are able to bring back electricity because it is critical,” he said.

Marcos said patients needing medical care may avail of the government’s zero-balance billing scheme. “Everyone who got injured, everyone who gets sick, everyone who has a medical issue and needs to go to the hospital is included in that,” he said. 

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said P1.4 million worth of medicines have been flown in, while mobile primary care units are operating.

Ring of fire

The President praised the volunteers and first responders. “I noticed as I walked around, there were many volunteers here. And once again, we saw our first responders, doctors, nurses, medtechs, everyone helping the sick,” he said. “If it weren’t for your help, maybe we could say that some lives were saved because of your help.”

The Office of Civil Defense reported 597 damaged houses, nine impassable roads, five bridges and three seaports affected, two landslides, one structural fire, and one tsunami triggered by the quake.

Earthquakes are a near daily occurrence in the Philippines, which sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire.” While most are too weak to be felt, destructive tremors strike without warning, as Cebu now confronts its long road to recovery.         With AFP