THE death toll from the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck northern Cebu on Sept. 30, 2025, has climbed to 76, the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) 7 announced on Thursday, October 16.
OCD 7 Regional Director Joel Erestain also reported that more than 1,300 people were injured in the disaster.
In a press conference, Erestain said the latest fatality was confirmed by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and the Department of Interior and Local Government Cebu Province.
Erestain said the new fatalities were mostly victims who had been hospitalized but later succumbed to their injuries.
“Those are the late registrations. Since there are injured people and those who died, those are still being assessed whether they are related to the earthquake or not,” Erestain said.
Current data show that 90 earthquake victims were admitted to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), with only 16 remaining in the hospital as of Thursday.
Other patients are also receiving care at UCMed and Chong Hua Hospital.
Zero Balance Billing
The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) Region-7 has assured that earthquake victims admitted into hospitals will not be charged for their stay in the medical facility.
PhilHealth 7 Vice President Marjorie Cabrieto said this is in line with the agency’s zero balance billing (ZBB) policy.
The ZBB policy aims to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for eligible patients admitted to basic ward accommodations in Department of Health (DOH)-managed hospitals.
The program which is part of the country’s universal healthcare initiative, covers room charges, medicines, laboratory tests, surgical procedures, implants, and professional fees, so that patients can receive necessary healthcare without the financial burden. / ANV