President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced that evacuation “tent cities” are being established in Cebu to shelter residents displaced by the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck the province on September 30.
“With the help of Dick Gordon and the Red Cross, they’ve been very, very, very helpful,” Marcos said in Episode 5 of his “Bagong Pilipinas Podcast,” released Monday.
The President earlier ordered the immediate construction of temporary shelters for families whose homes were damaged or deemed unsafe. The national government has allocated PHP375 million for relief and response operations, with PHP150 million from the Local Government Support Fund and PHP75 million directed to Bogo City, one of the hardest-hit areas.
As of the latest reports, 72 people have been confirmed dead and around 450,000 individuals have been affected. Government and humanitarian agencies continue to provide food, potable water, medical care, and shelter assistance.
“In government, the best that we can do is really to be prepared, as prepared as we can possibly be, and move very, very quickly,” Marcos said, emphasizing the need for swift and sustained response efforts.
He underscored the importance of continued support for affected communities even after media attention wanes.
“You cannot wait. Don’t do it later, do it now, do it now, do it now,” he stressed.
“The challenge with almost all disasters, especially globally, is that the moment they get shunted out of the headlines or the news, what’s happening there, and that there are people still suffering, still trying to recover. That’s why I made it very clear when I went to both Masbate and Cebu. I said this is not a one-time thing. We’re here. We’re going to stay here until everyone is more or less in a stable condition,” Marcos said.