Cebu earthquake death toll now at 63 — DOH

A total of 63 fatalities have been recorded due to the magnitude-6.9 earthquake that devastated Bogo City in Cebu, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said Wednesday.

Herbosa said this 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. 

"I'm told there are about 63 casualties already and we've sent actually four teams," the DOH chief said. 

He assured that the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) will cover the hospital expenses of those who were injured in the earthquake.

"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 (so that the casualties can go to private hospitals to get treatment)," Herbosa said around noon Wednesday. 

Earlier in the day, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) placed the reported death toll at 60. 

The epicenter of Tuesday's earthquake was located at 11.09°N, 124.13°E - 017 km N 73° E of Bogo City.

The quake was initially reported as a magnitude-6.7 before being upgraded to 6.9. It had a depth of 5 km and was tectonic in origin.

The province of Cebu has been placed under a state of calamity following the earthquake. 

Quick response fund

Meanwhile, Herbosa said mental health and psychosocial teams will also be deployed to Cebu province to provide assistance to affected residents. 

He also noted 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," he said. 

(For sure, I will request for additional funds from Secretary Pangandaman, especially for Bogo because we need a bigger allocation there.) 

Also on Wednesday, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the government has a standby calamity fund of P8.008 billion as of October 1, 2025.

Called the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF), 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.

It can also serve as an additional funding source for the Quick Response Funds (QRF) of agencies when its balance reaches 50%.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman called on agencies to promptly activate their QRFs following the directive of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to guarantee immediate relief and rehabilitation for communities affected by the Cebu earthquake. — VDV, GMA Integrated News