THE Mandaue City Government is set to extend financial assistance amounting to P7 million to seven local government units (LGUs) in northern Cebu that were severely affected by the September 30, 2025 earthquake.
Councilor Joel Seno said that during the regular session, the City Council approved on first reading the measure that would authorize Mayor Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano to provide P1 million each to seven LGUs impacted by the recent quake.
The total amount of P7 million will be sourced from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) funds of the City.
“The ordinance aims to authorize Mayor Ouano to grant financial assistance to the LGUs affected by the recent earthquake. The mayor’s plan is to give seven LGUs P1 million each, which totals P7 million, and this will come from Pagcor funds,” Seno said.
The beneficiary LGUs include Bogo, Medellin, Tabogon, San Remigio, Borbon, Sogod, and Daanbantayan.
Ouano said the City’s decision to expand the number of beneficiaries from five to seven LGUs was based on updated situational reports provided by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and other local sources.
“Initially, we identified five LGUs that were among the most affected, Bogo, Medellin, Tabogon, San Remigio, and Borbon based on the situational report during my interview last Friday, October 3, 2025,” Ouano said.
“We reviewed the number of families affected, and these were the initial areas that needed assistance. However, Sogod and Daanbantayan were not yet included in the report at that time,” he added.
He said the inclusion of Sogod and Daanbantayan came after receiving updated situational reports over the weekend.
“By Sunday, October 5, 2025, we saw that Sogod and Daanbantayan were also heavily affected in terms of the number of families. That’s why we decided to include them as additional recipients,” he said.
Ouano emphasized that while all LGUs were affected by the earthquake, the city prioritized those that were most heavily hit and recorded a higher number of displaced families.
He expressed hopes that the City would be able to release the financial aid soon.
“Hopefully, by this week or next week, we can distribute the checks amounting to P1 million each to these LGUs,” the mayor said.
Seno also confirmed that the ordinance will undergo second and final reading during a special session on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, to be held at the Mandaue City Session Hall.
Once approved, the City will immediately begin releasing the funds directly to the recipient LGUs.
“The financial assistance will be given directly to the concerned local government units,” he said.
The 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck parts of northern Cebu on September 30 caused significant damage to several LGUs, prompting immediate relief and rehabilitation efforts across the province.
Mandaue City’s financial aid is expected to provide critical assistance to affected communities as they rebuild. (ABC)