AMID CALLS FOR a comprehensive disaster, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit Bogo City in the province of Cebu, killing at least 69 persons and with hundreds others sustaining injuries.
In Manila, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa assured that the government — through the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), will cover the hospitalization of those who were injured in what appears to be a little shy of the so-called The Big One expected to hit Metro Manila and adjoining regions.
During the Senate Committee on Finance’s deliberations on the proposed P320.5-billion budget of the Department of Health (DOH) for fiscal year 2026, Herbosa claimed that the agency has sent four teams to assess the situation from where a recommendation would be forwarded to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“I’m told there are about 63 casualties already and we’ve actually sent four teams,” the DOH chief said.
“I’ve actually asked our PhilHealth president to issue a similar issuance that we issued during Typhoon Haiyan wherein all of these patients will be covered on a no-balance billing with PhilHealth para pati ‘yung mga casualties sa earthquake, makapunta sa private hospital and then ma-treat sila,” he added.
Earlier in the day, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) placed the reported death toll at 60.
The epicenter of the earthquake, which was initially reported as magnitude 6.7 before being upgraded to 6.9, was located at 11.09°N, 124.13°E – 017 km N 73° E of Bogo City. It had a depth of 5 km and was tectonic in origin.
The province of Cebu has already been placed under a state of calamity.
Herbosa also hinted at deploying mental health and psychosocial teams to provide assistance to affected residents.
Aside from the P8-billion standby fund at the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Herbosa admitted that the DOH has a P166-million quick response fund that can be used for government efforts in Bogo City and Masbate.
“Malamang manghihingi ako kay [Budget] Secretary Pangandaman ng additional [QRF], especially for Bogo because mukhang matindi ang allocation doon,”
The standby fund supports emergency relief and rehabilitation programs for disaster-affected areas, including the repair and reconstruction of public facilities and other capital investments necessary for disaster response.
