By Helen Castaño | 01:00 PM October 01, 2025
TAGBILARAN CITY – Even as Bohol reported minimal damage from Tuesday night’s powerful earthquake, the provincial government is sending assistance to neighboring Cebu, which bore the brunt of the 6.9-magnitude temblor that has so far claimed at least 61 lives.
Governor Aris Aumentado said Bohol is releasing P5 million in financial aid and deploying a team of 16 medical and rescue personnel, along with two ambulances and a rescue vehicle, to Cebu this afternoon.
“I was able to talk with Governor Pam Baricuatro. They urgently need drinking water and additional medical responders,” Aumentado said after leading an emergency meeting with local agencies to assess the situation.
Minimal damage in Bohol
Aumentado assured that Bohol remained largely unscathed. Some school buildings in Sevilla, Balilihan, Ubay, Bien Unido, and Guindulman sustained minor cracks but were deemed safe.
All hospitals are fully operational, although 87 patients at the Gov. Celestino Gallares Medical Center were briefly evacuated Tuesday night before being allowed back once engineers declared the building structurally sound.
Roads remain passable, except for two bridges in Dauis town. The Castel Bridge is restricted to light vehicles, while the Borja Bridge is open to motorists using only one lane.
Classes and government work, suspended on Wednesday to allow safety inspections, will resume on Thursday, October 2.
Cebu reels from devastation
In contrast, Cebu province has declared a state of calamity as rescue teams continue to search for survivors. The earthquake, which struck at 9:59 p.m. Tuesday, had its epicenter 17 kilometers north of Bogo City at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
Phivolcs reported that Cebu City and Villaba in Leyte recorded Intensity VI shaking. Intensity III was felt in San Fernando, Cebu, while lighter tremors were experienced in Northern Samar and nearby provinces.
Aftershocks continued past midnight, further fueling fear among residents.
