A POWERFUL aftershock rattled Cebu early Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, nearly two weeks after a devastating earthquake. The tremor reignited fears among residents and highlighted the immense challenge authorities face in balancing urgent safety assessments with the need to restore a sense of normalcy for the province’s economy and its people.
At 1:06 a.m., a magnitude 5.8 tremor — initially recorded as 6.0 — struck with an epicenter just 11 kilometers from Bogo City at a shallow depth of five kilometers. It was the strongest of nearly 11,000 aftershocks recorded since a magnitude 6.9 earthquake devastated the area on Sept. 30.
The shaking was widely felt, reaching Intensity 5 in Bogo and the hard-hit towns of Tabuelan, San Remigio, Medellin and Daanbantayan. It was felt at Intensity 4 in Cebu City and as far as Iloilo City.
The aftershock injured 14 individuals, who suffered from lacerations, head injuries, chest pains and even an asthma attack triggered by the panic. It followed the main quake that claimed 75 lives, with the highest death tolls in Bogo City with 33; San Remigio, 15; and Medellin, 15.
Assessing the damage
The Sept. 30 earthquake left a significant trail of destruction long before the latest aftershock. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the quake caused over a million in infrastructure damage and damaged nearly 80,000 houses, with 5,343 completely destroyed.
In response, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has directed all affected local government units (LGUs) to conduct thorough structural inspections of buildings, infrastructure, and homes.
The DILG stressed that LGUs should not allow the re-occupation of damaged structures until they are declared safe by building officials.
Ripple effects
The Sept. 30 earthquake’s economic toll extends deep into the agricultural sector, which reported an estimated P9.3 million in initial damage to aquaculture, fisheries and post-harvest facilities across northern Cebu. Aquaculture losses include P700,000 in fish cages in Bogo City, P1.09 million in fish pens in Bantayan, Madridejos, and San Remigio and P450,000 in a fish pond in San Remigio.
Capture fisheries (wild catch) sustained P875,000 in losses from totally damaged fish aggregating devices (payao) in Catmon and Borbon, and P175,000 from partially damaged fishing boats in Tabuelan, Catmon, Talisay, and Santa Fe.
The largest losses, P6 million, were recorded in post-harvest facilities, with the total damage to Cebu Fish Landing Centers in Tabogon and San Remigio.
The corn post-harvest processing facility in Caputatan Sur, Medellin, also sustained partial damage, with costs yet to be determined.
The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist plans to distribute FADs, cages, fish pens, fingerlings, and feeds to affected fishermen, 3,979 of whom are insured under the Cebu Province’s “Agri-Fishery Insurance” program.
In Mandaue City, 16 of 48 public schools sustained damage, forcing a shift in learning modalities. Mandaue Schools Division Superintendent Bianito Dagatan has requested an official inspection from the city’s Office of the Building Official (OBO) to get a definitive assessment.
“Although our source of information comes from the Mandaue City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, we still need the OBO’s report to validate their observations and ensure that our data is accurate,” Dagatan said.
For now, affected schools are using a blended approach. “Some classes will now follow a blended learning approach, where there are certain days for face-to-face classes and other days for ADM (alternative delivery mode),” he said.
An effort to reassure
While safety inspections are underway, the Cebu Provincial Government is working to mitigate the impact on tourism, a vital part of the local economy. In a travel advisory issued Oct. 2, Gov. Pamela Baricuatro assured the public that travel to Cebu remains safe, especially to its central and southern areas not directly hit by the quake’s epicenter.
“It is also business as usual at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) in Lapu-Lapu City and at the ports of Cebu, particularly in Cebu City, so that visitors continue to come and go without any inconvenience that resulted from the earthquake,” the advisory reads.
What comes next
The total cost of repairs for damaged schools is still being computed, and Mandaue City may not be prioritized for national funds given the more severe damage in northern Cebu. Aid for thousands of affected farmers and fisherfolk is still in the proposal stage. / CDF, JJL, TPM, ABC