Cebu quake displaces more than 80K families

By Priam Nepomuceno, Philippine News Agency

FILE: RECOVERY EFFORTS. Troops from the Philippine Army’s (PA) 53rd Engineer Brigade conduct a search and retrieval operation with personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection in Bogo City, Cebu, on Wednesday (Oct. 1, 2025), following the previous night’s magnitude 6.9 earthquake. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Friday (Oct. 3) that the number of families affected by the massive earthquake has reached 80,595. (Photo: Philippine Army/Facebook)

MANILA – Families affected by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that rocked Bogo City, Cebu, and other nearby provinces have reached 80,595, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Friday.

In its latest situation report, the disaster response body said these affected families are equivalent to 366,360 persons residing in 106 barangays in Central Visayas.

As of this posting, 365 families are currently being sheltered in eight evacuation centers, while 15,092 families are being aided outside.

The number of reported fatalities, all in Central Visayas and still undergoing validation, decreased from 72 to 68 on Thursday.

The reduction was attributed to the ongoing validation process, Office of Civil Defense deputy spokesperson Diego Mariano said in a message to reporters.

“Please take note that the numbers may increase or decrease as validation of the MDM (Management of the Dead and Missing Persons) led by the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) is ongoing,” he added.

Also undergoing verification are reports of 559 injured, the NDRRMC said in its update.

Damaged houses totalled 5,013, of which 4,355 are classified as “partially damaged” and 658 as “totally damaged”.