CEBU City Mayor Nestor Archival is studying a proposal to distribute emergency “Go Bags” to every household as part of efforts to strengthen the city’s disaster preparedness and resilience.
Archival announced the initiative during his weekly press conference on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. He said the project was inspired by Pasig City’s well-known program, which provides residents with ready-to-grab emergency kits containing essential survival items.
Pasig City’s Go Bag contains essential items like: dry bag (waterproof), emergency thermal blanket, hand-pressing flashlight (does not require batteries), glow sticks, whistle, scissors, trash bag, first aid kit. The reported cost of Pasig’s “Go Bags” is P992 apiece.
These items are practical and aimed at providing basic safety and comfort for up to 72 hours in disaster situations. This collection ensures residents have tools for light, signaling, warmth, minor medical needs, and waste disposal. The “Go Bag” is to help residents stay safe and prepared during emergencies such as earthquakes, typhoons, or power outages.
“I think it’s a good idea we can also adopt in Cebu. But we’re still studying how to distribute them properly since, based on my research, the city has around 140,000 families,” Archival said.
He added that the local government is still evaluating the feasibility and logistics of the project, particularly regarding funding and fair distribution. The Mayor stressed that he and Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña are exploring the planning process to ensure all households benefit from the program.
Safety helmets
Aside from the “Go Bags,” the City Government is also studying the possibility of providing safety helmets to all public school students.
“We are also studying the possibility of providing safety helmets to all public school students so they will feel safe,” Archival said. “We are still discussing this because, based on our estimate, there are about 125,000 students in public schools. If we give them helmets, then what about those in private schools?”
He noted that purchasing 120,000 helmets and 140,000 Go Bags would require an immediate assessment of procurement and funding feasibility, matters which are still under discussion. These plans, he said, are part of the administration’s broader effort to make Cebu City more disaster-resilient.
Meanwhile, the Cebu City Council has also taken action to boost preparedness. It recently pushed an ordinance creating comprehensive “Guidelines for Earthquake Preparedness, Response, Recovery, and Rehabilitation,” institutionalizing a citywide framework for earthquake readiness.
Authored by Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover Jr., the measure cites Cebu City’s location along the Central Cebu Fault Line System, as identified by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). It aligns with national disaster response plans.
Under the ordinance, the City Government is mandated to conduct monthly earthquake information campaigns in all barangays, develop an Earthquake Preparedness Handbook for establishments, and enforce quarterly earthquake drills.
The measure also requires all establishments to have hard hats, mandates the maintenance of earthquake rescue vehicles and barangay-based response volunteers, and directs the creation of detailed evacuation plans along with quarterly building inspections.
The ordinance assigns lead roles to the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Department of Social Welfare and Services, Public Information Office,, and the Office of the Mayor.
Funding will be drawn from the General Fund and the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund. / CAV