THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Central Office has begun its second wave of aid to families affected by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck northern Cebu on Sept. 30, 2025.
The agency aims to deliver 225,000 family food packs across multiple towns within the week, as communities continue to recover from damaged homes and disrupted livelihoods.
How the aid effort works
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said relief will continue until residents can rebuild. Following his visit to Bogo City on Tuesday, Oct. 7, the DSWD 7 dispatched more trucks from its warehouses, with support from the Visayas Disaster Resource Center (VDRC) in Mandaue City.
Oct. 8 dispatch: 35,550 family food packs were sent out.
Main recipients: Bantayan, Daanbantayan, Tabuelan, Sogod, Tabogon, Borbon, San Remigio, Medellin, Catmon and Bogo City.
Ongoing operations: 24-hour repacking continues at the VDRC, which has called for volunteers through the DSWD’s official Facebook page.
The department’s plan covers both food and cash assistance, part of what Gatchalian described as the National Government’s commitment to stay “until our fellow Cebuanos rise again.”
Local reactions
In Medellin, residents in Barangay Caputatan Norte have already received food packs. Other towns await shipments as distribution schedules roll out through the week.
Despite the visible aid flow, local political friction has surfaced in the aftermath.
Why local officials are trading accusations
The earthquake’s response effort has sparked a public dispute between Bogo City officials and the Provincial Government.
Rep. Vincent “Duke” Frasco (5th District) backed Provincial Board (PB) Member Celestino “Tining” Martinez III, who criticized the Capitol’s handling of the disaster. Frasco accused the Capitol of a “failure of leadership” and of trying to silence critics through online attacks.
Bogo City Mayor Maria Cielo “Mayel” Martinez, sibling of PB Martinez, also alleged operational lapses by the Province:
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office arrived only two days after the quake.
The Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office also responded late, with one official reportedly at a private event when first contacted.
Capitol representatives sent to Bogo were from the Provincial Assistance Center, not trained in disaster command systems.
Martinez said her brother’s question, “Where is the Provincial Government?” was meant to refer to the command structure — not to the governor personally — but was “misinterpreted to fit a political narrative.”
What this means for residents
For quake-hit communities, relief continues to depend largely on national and local coordination. The DSWD’s logistics have scaled up, but uneven provincial communication has fueled a larger conversation about accountability in disaster response.
In the coming days, the effectiveness of this collaboration — between national agencies and local governments — will shape how quickly northern Cebu recovers. / CDF