THE Cebu City Government is urging private companies to inspect their own buildings for possible earthquake damage, as structural assessments by city engineers continue across public facilities.
Councilor Dave Tumulak, chairman of the City Council’s committee on disaster, said inspections are still ongoing several days after the 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck Cebu on Tuesday night, Sept. 30, 2025.
The focus, he said, has been on public structures such as schools, markets and government offices.
Tumulak said inspections by City Hall engineers are still ongoing.
He encouraged private establishments to conduct their own assessments and submit their findings to the City Government.
If their engineers identify any critical issues, he said the City, through the Office of the Building Official (OBO), will step in to provide technical advice and guidance.
“So far, no critical structural damage has been reported in public buildings. Initial findings show only minor defects such as hairline cracks, which are now being documented and monitored by the OBO,” he said.
Tumulak also appealed to the public, particularly school administrators, to immediately report any visible cracks or signs of structural distress.
He said the City needs these reports to determine whether the affected areas should be cordoned off or if they remain safe to use.
The OBO has already inspected 83 schools and government structures since the earthquake.
The office has submitted its preliminary report to Mayor Nestor Archival and the city administrator to guide ongoing response and safety measures.
The OBO said in a statement that it remains steadfast in its mission to protect the public by ensuring the structural safety and integrity of buildings across the city.
Declared sites
Meanwhile, the Cultural and Historical Affairs Office (Chao) has completed a Rapid Heritage Assessment within 48 hours after the quake.
Chao head Bryner Diaz said a team was immediately mobilized to check the condition of the city’s heritage and declared sites, setting up a live online system to track inspections.
The digital dashboard allowed real-time monitoring by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) and partner agencies.
To maximize coverage, the team was divided into three field groups, enabling citywide site inspections.
Within two days, assessors completed an initial sweep of Cebu City’s heritage and declared sites, logging observations, geo-tags and photos into a standardized form linked to an Excel-based tally.
A declared site is a place that has been officially recognized and documented by a national body, such as a national museum or historical commission, as having significant historical, cultural, or national importance.
One site, the Calamba Coral Stone Chapel, registered severe damage, compounding earlier impacts from typhoon Odette.
Because the City’s reporting tools were live, the NHCP immediately saw the entry and initiated technical coordination with the Chao.
The findings from both the OBO and Chao will form part of the City’s ongoing post-quake safety plan to ensure the protection of both public infrastructure and cultural heritage sites. / CAV