SOME residents of Purok Tangkong 1 and 2 in Barangay Hagnaya, San Remigio, Cebu, are appealing for a relocation site and housing assistance after visible cracks and gradual ground subsidence were observed in their area following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck northern Cebu on September 30, 2025.
Barangay Health Worker (BHW) president Rowena Lastomin said portions of their coastal community have begun to sink, raising fears of further damage among residents.
She said some residents of Purok Tangkong 1 and 2 have temporarily moved to the uphill part of Hagnaya but are not staying in the tent city established by the city and national governments.
However, she said many residents are hesitant to permanently relocate as most of them rely on fishing or work at the nearby port for their livelihood.
“Ako usa man ko sa relocation sa Yolanda, niuli gihapon ko dire kay naa man among panginabuhi,” she told SunStar Cebu on Friday, October 17, 2025.
(I was one of those relocated after Super Typhoon Yolanda, but I returned here because our livelihood is here.)
“Mao na kay kon ma-relocate gani, ang panginabuhi na pud,” she said.
(That’s the problem — if we get relocated, our livelihood will be affected again.)
Lastomin, who also experienced displacement during Super Typhoon Yolanda in November 2013, urged authorities to identify a safe relocation site for families living near the fault line.
“Relocation area ra gyud, mao ra gyud nga immediate nga tabang, labi na gyud tong mga area nga naagian sa fault line... kanang walay fault line ug safety sa linog,” she said.
(A relocation area is really the only immediate help, especially for those living on the fault line — somewhere without a fault line and safe from earthquakes.)
As of the 2020 Philippine Census, Hagnaya had a population of 4,222 residents.
Ground cracks, sinking homes
Resident of Purok Tangkong 1, Merry Christy Velasquez, 30, said their home and several others in the area have been sinking since the earthquake.
A visible ground crack stretches several meters near her house, prompting her family to temporarily evacuate to a mountain barangay.
“Usa ra gyud among hangyo diri nga matagaan mig kabalhinan nga balay,” Velasquez said.
(Our only request is to be given a place to move to, a house.)
She added that they sometimes return to their homes to wash clothes due to the lack of water supply in their temporary shelter.
Another resident, 27-year-old Jenny Bullo, shared the same plea. Her house, which sits beside a wide ground crack, has been damaged and is no longer safe to live in.
“Unta matagaan mig balay kay lain kaayo bisan asa ra mi mangatug, unya usahay makuyawan mi kay mukalit na pod og linog,” Bullo said while doing her laundry at a nearby tent despite being sick due to the sudden change in weather.
(We hope to be given a house because it’s difficult having to sleep anywhere we can, and sometimes we get scared when another quake suddenly hits.)
No build zones
The local government of San Remigio said it continues to coordinate with national agencies for guidance and assistance on the matter.
“As per recommendation from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), we were told to evacuate residents affected by sinkholes. Fault line cracks are also seen in San Remigio; however, due to aftershocks, we are recommended not to fill these up yet as they can still increase in size,” San Remigio Councilor Miguel Martinez told SunStar Cebu in a text message on Sunday, October 19.
The local government has sought further recommendations from MGB and Phivolcs on when it will be safe to fill the cracks and sinkholes.
“Since they are the experts on this, we will refer to their advice. The LGU has also declared areas with sinkholes as no-build zones,” Martinez said.
LGU seeks national aid for housing
On the issue of relocation, the LGU has requested assistance from the National Government.
The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development has expressed willingness to help through its housing programs, but Martinez admitted that progress will take time.
“The temporary housing provided by the national government cannot accommodate all families whose homes were destroyed or affected by sinkholes and cracks. We were provided 67 smart houses in the evacuation center, which, as you may know, is not enough,” he said.
He added that San Remigio, a fourth-class municipality with an annual budget of around P300 million, will need support from both the Provincial and National Governments to recover.
As of October 19, 2025, the municipality has recorded 1,451 destroyed houses and 19,436 damaged houses.
San Remigio is among the 12 local government units in northern Cebu severely affected by the earthquake, which had its epicenter in Bogo City. (CDF)