MORE financial assistance amounting to P38 million will be given to towns in northern Cebu affected by last week’s earthquake.
Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro, in an interview after meeting with northern Cebu mayors on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, said Bogo City will receive P5 million while 11 other towns will get P3 million each.
“The Province has pledged to give right away by Friday P3 million to the municipalities affected and P5 million to Bogo City,” Baricuatro said.
The Provincial Board (PB) also approved the allocation of P26 million for the calamity, which will be sourced from its quick response fund.
Baricuatro announced that the Provincial Government will release P3 million to northern Cebu towns and P5 million to Bogo City to aid ongoing relief and recovery operations following the quake on Tuesday, September 30.
“It was well agreed upon during the meeting, especially with what Secretary Gatchalian said,” Baricuatro said after meeting with Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian and local officials from northern Cebu.
She said the meeting focused on ensuring that all aid distribution efforts are properly aligned between the national and local governments.
“As I’ve said earlier, both the National Government and the Province have committed to work together — kuyog ta, kumbati ta, magkahiusa ta sa atong mga kaigsuonan diri sa Norte,” she said.
Coordination
The meeting gathered mayors from Bogo City, Borbon, Catmon, Sogod, Santa Fe, San Remigio, Bantayan, Medellin, Daanbantayan, and Tabogon, along with 4th District Rep. Sun Shimura and 5th District Rep. Duke Frasco, to discuss the coordination between the Cebu Province and the LGUs hit by the earthquake.
Although the mayors and the governor had already met during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s visit to Bogo City on Thursday, October 2, the October 7 meeting was a closed-door session exclusive to officials.
The mayors of Tabuelan and Madridejos did not attend.
Baricuatro said the Province will continue to work closely with local government units (LGUs) to identify the needs of affected families and ensure assistance is distributed efficiently.
“From the Provincial Government, we have agreed to coordinate closely with DSWD in terms of distributing the meal packs and also the financial assistance,” Baricuatro said.
Bogo City Mayor Maria Cielo “Mayel” Martinez confirmed that the Province committed to providing financial support, resources, and manpower to northern Cebu LGUs.
“It’s a commitment that they will support us. First, they will provide us with the resources that we need, both financially and in terms of manpower, which we currently lack,” Martinez said.
“We also agreed with Gov. Pam that we will work collaboratively for the betterment of Cebu,” she added.
A day before the meeting, Mayor Martinez’s brother PB Member Celestino “Tining” Martinez III of the 4th District criticized the Provincial Government for what he described as a lack of coordination with LGUs after the earthquake.
Speaking before the PB on Monday, Oct. 6, Martinez claimed there was “no proper coordination” in relief distribution and planning, citing reports that provincial aid was delivered directly to barangays without notifying local officials.
Grateful
Mayor Martinez expressed gratitude for the resilience and positivity shown by Bogo City residents after the magnitude 6.9 earthquake, which had their city as its epicenter.
“I am truly grateful to the people of Bogo that even after what we experienced, they remain hopeful and positive,” she said. “I know we cannot achieve recovery quickly, but after the second wave of distribution, we saw how supportive they are.”
She noted that residents are working to return to normal life, emphasizing the community’s spirit of self-reliance.
“I am really grateful that the people and I have agreed to help one another, because no one else will help us — charity begins at home,” she added.
DSWD readies second wave of aid
After the meeting, Gatchalian said the first wave of food assistance — 225,864 family food packs — was deployed on Sunday, October 7.
While the delivery took three to four days to reach all identified areas, it was among the fastest DSWD deployments.
Of the 225,864 family food packs, Daanbantayan received 37,000; Cebu City, 28,900; Medellin, 25,000; Bantayan, 21,806; San Remigio, 20,000; Madridejos, 15,708; Tabogon, 15,000; Sogod, 12,500; Borbon, 12,000; Catmon, 11,708; Tabuelan, 11,000; Santa Fe, 11,000; and 5,000 went to other partner communities.
Gatchalian said a second wave of around 255,000 family food packs is being prepared for distribution to LGUs by Friday or over the weekend.
He clarified that DSWD delivers the family food packs directly to LGUs, which handle household distribution. After the food packs are delivered, emergency cash assistance will be released to affected families once LGUs complete their damage assessments.
“If you ask me how much the national government will allocate, I cannot answer yet because our local government units are still collating the total number of totally and partially damaged houses in their areas,” Gatchalian said in Filipino. “We want to ensure that no one is left behind.” (CDF)