By Priam Nepomuceno
MANILA – There are no missing persons so far reported following Tuesday night’s magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit Cebu and nearby provinces in the Visayas, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said Thursday.
In an interview with reporters, OCD spokesperson Junie Castillo said they have not received any reports of unaccounted persons from local government units (LGUs).
“We don’t know if they just haven’t submitted yet or kung wala na. Pero so far wala. Kaya parang zero missing pa tayo (or there are really no reports of missing persons. That is why as of now we have zero missing persons),” Castillo said.
He added that their present assumption is everyone in the affected communities has been accounted for.
Citing discussions with ranking OCD officials led by their administrator, Undersecretary Harold Cabreros, Castillo said search and rescue operations are now considered “over.”
Private search and rescue teams, he added, have been given the go-signal to “demobilize” or shift to relief operations, debris clearing, or other missions related to disaster response.
Castillo also said they are hoping that the number of casualties will not go higher.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) earlier said there are 72 reported earthquake fatalities with 294 injured, with the figures still subject for validation and verification.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Army (PA) on Thursday said it continues to send and mobilize troops for humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) efforts in areas affected by the powerful earthquake.
“The Army’s HADR units for search, rescue, and retrieval remain operational, working alongside local government’s disaster units and offices across Bogo City, San Remigio, Daanbantayan, and Medellin in Cebu,” PA spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said in a statement.
He added that as of Thursday, the PA has 587 available troops for various disaster response operations.
Dema-ala added that PA responders have assisted in the safe evacuation of 292 families in the municipalities of Carmen, Consolacion, and Sogod, all in Cebu province.
For its part, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) said one of its C-130 transport aircraft transported critical relief supplies from Villamor Air Base in Pasay City to Benito N. Ebuen Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City on Wednesday.
“The cargo included 812 evacuation kits from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, assorted CSSR (collapsed structure search and rescue) equipment from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and 170 boxes of medical supplies from the Department of Health,” PAF spokesperson Ma. Christina Basco said in a statement Thursday.
Aside from this, Basco said the PAF has also mobilized its search, rescue, and retrieval (SRR) team and air assets to aid affected communities.
At least six cadavers in Binabag and Gairan villages in Bogo City, Cebu were recovered with the help of PAF teams, Basco said. (PNA)
