Malacañang Speaks on Order of Pres. Bongbong Marcos amid the Strong Earthquake in Cebu
BONGBONG MARCOS – Malacañang confirmed that the President has ordered the government agencies to provide help to the victims of the Cebu earthquake.
Cebu was jolted by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake last night and the intensity felt by some affected areas were as much as intensity VII. The epicenter of the quake was located at Bogo City, Cebu as per the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology or Phivolcs.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located at 11.10°North, 124.14°East – 019 km North 70° East of Bogo City. According to Phivolcs, it was tectonic in origin and had a depth of 005 kilometer. Several hospitals in Cebu ordered the medical staff, doctors, nurses, and patients to evacuate amid the strong shaking for their safety.
The patients of the Cebu City Medical Center were brought to Cebu City Fire Station. During the evacuation, a pregnant woman even gave birth while on the sidewalk after the 6.9 magnitude earthquake. She was assisted by a doctor and her OB-GYNE team.
Several structures were reportedly damaged due to the Cebu earthquake. Unfortunately, at least 26 lives already were lost due to the quake as per the records of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). At least 140 people were injured.
Amid the ongoing search and rescue operations conducted due to the Cebu earthquake, Malacañang spoke about the order of Pres. Bongbong Marcos. Based on a post of ABS-CBN News on social media, Palace press officer undersecretary Claire Castro said the President ordered the government agencies to provide help to the victims of the Cebu quake.
According to Malacañang, following the order of Pres. Bongbong Marcos for the victims of the Cebu earthquake, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) already told the agencies to activate their Quick Response Funds (QRF).
“The QRF serves as an emergency standby facility designed to finance urgent relief and recovery initiatives, helping communities return to normalcy after disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons,” the Palace official said.
Furthermore, based on the post, following the order of Pres. Bongbong Marcos to ensure that the Cebu earthquake victims get help, the regional offices of the DBM in Central and Eastern Visayas were ordered to “coordinate with their regional counterparts from the OCD to identify requirements where DBM assistance may be extended”.
Amid the strong shaking in Cebu, doctors, nurses, and medical staff remained true to their commitment to their patients. Nurses in a hospital in Cebu safely secured the infants from the nursery amid the earthquake.