The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) in Central Visayas has raised its alert status to RED after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck offshore Northern Cebu on Tuesday night, September 30.

In Memorandum No. 41-A, series of 2025, all response clusters were ordered on standby for possible activation and deployment. A virtual Emergency Operations Center has also been activated to ensure real-time monitoring, coordination, and updates among disaster agencies, response units, and local government units.

OCD-7 Regional Director Joel S. Erestain, CSEE, who also chairs the RDRRMC, personally visited the Cebu Provincial Emergency Operations Center and met with Governor Pamela Baricuatro to discuss the council’s readiness to provide support and augmentation in addressing the immediate needs of local governments.

For safety, the Provincial Government of Cebu has suspended work at the Cebu Provincial Capitol Compound starting this morning, as engineers from the Provincial Engineering Office assess the Executive Building and other structures at 6:00 a.m. Assistant Provincial Administrator Aldwin Empaces announced that operations will resume only once safety is confirmed.

The National Disaster and Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRMC) confirmed 26 fatalities and 147 injured, where residents reported collapsed homes and widespread damage.

Governor Baricuatro is en route to the city to establish a joint operations center and lead relief and emergency efforts, including the distribution of food, medicine, and equipment for Bogo and nearby towns.

A temporary command center is also being set up at the Capitol to coordinate with national agencies, including the Office of the President, ensuring a streamlined emergency response.

Provincial authorities have appealed for immediate aid and augmentation to sustain search, rescue, and relief operations.