AT LEAST 61 people have been reported dead following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu, the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said Wednesday, October 1, 2025.
However, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) recorded only 26 deaths as of Wednesday morning.
In a situational report, the PDRRMO said that of the 61 reported fatalities, 32 were considered “official.”
Of the 61, 27 were reported in Bogo, 10 in Medellin, 22 in San Remigio, one in Sogod, and one in Tabuelan.
The NDRRMC, for its part, said that 147 individuals were injured due to the strong earthquake.
It said three bridges and a road section were also reported damaged while eight areas were out of power.
The towns of San Remegio and Tabuelan were placed under state of calamity due to the earthquake.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has mobilized personnel and resources to maximize the assistance to all the affected residents.
In a statement, PNP acting chief Lieutenant General Jose Melencio Nartatez said he has already directed the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas to activate its Disaster Incident Management Task Group, ensure a full accounting of deployed personnel, and conduct a Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA).
He said PNP personnel are already on the ground to secure the affected areas, assisting evacuations, and ensuring public order as we continue to assess the full extent of the damage.
Nartatez said aside from responding to the needs of the affected residents, he also tasked police personnel to help secure establishments and vital infrastructure that may have been compromised as a result of the strong earthquake to ensure public safety.
“Our personnel on the ground were among the first responders and we assure the people of Cebu that we will extend all the necessary assistance -- from securing affected establishments to attending to the needs of the local residents,” he said.
Nartatez said they will place on standby personnel from the Engineering Service for technical assistance to proper authorities.
“Our Engineering Service will be on standby for possible rendering of assistance in the structural integrity inspection of buildings and establishments,” he said.
Police stations and establishments, he said, will be inspected as part of the efforts to ensure the safety of PNP personnel in Cebu.
He said police forces in the entire province of Cebu were also ordered to keep all their communication lines open for any request for assistance.
“The PNP is working in lockstep with all concerned agencies under the guidance of the President. Additional resources from nearby regions are already on standby to reinforce relief, rescue, and recovery operations in Cebu and surrounding areas,” Nartatez added. (TPM/LRM/SunStar Philippines)