MORE than 3,000 medical and non-medical volunteers have registered to help in the relief operations for residents affected by the 6.9-magnitude earthquake in northern Cebu at the Capitol grounds on Thursday, October 2, 2025.
Most of the volunteers are young people whose main goal is to extend assistance to the disaster victims.
After registration, they were immediately brought to the Cebu Provincial Capitol’s warehouse, located at the DA Compound in Barangay Capitol Site, Cebu City, to assist in repacking relief goods.
The Cebu Provincial Government aims to speed up the repacking process so aid can be delivered quickly to affected families in the towns of the fourth district.
Governor Pamela Baricuatro’s call for support also drew a strong response from private individuals who offered their vehicles to transport the goods.
Each was assigned a delivery route to ensure that aid reached the towns as quickly as possible.
One student volunteer from Cebu City, who chose not to be named, shared that she asked permission from her parents to help in the relief operations with her classmates.
She expressed her happiness in being able to help, saying she pitied the victims of the earthquake who had nothing to eat or drink.
She even wished she could go directly to the hardest-hit towns to help distribute the goods.
“Akong mga classmate sir kay nagsabot nga motabang mi, mao na nga naa mi karon diri kay gusto namo nga dali ra makaabot sa ilaha bitaw ang mga pagkaon ug kining mga tubig kay luoy kaayo sila karon. Akong hunahuna daghan kaayo ang wala pa makakaon hangtod karon ug wala pa sad maka-inom og tubig ba,” she said.
(My classmates and I agreed to volunteer here so food and water could reach them faster. I feel so sorry for them because I think many still haven’t eaten or drunk water until now.)
However, a Capitol staff member explained that volunteers were not encouraged to personally go to the towns at this time, since the focus was on speeding up the repacking of relief items.
Aside from canned goods, noodles, and bottled water, vegetables donated from the town of Dalaguete will also be sent to Bogo City and neighboring municipalities.
The Cebu Provincial Government also clarified that reports spreading on social media about requiring a permit for those who want to deliver aid to quake-hit towns are false. (AYB)