Bohol provincial gov’t sends SAR unit to quake-hit City of Bogo in Cebu

By Rey Anthony Chiu

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA) — The Bohol provincial government is sending a search-and-rescue (SAR) unit from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), along with trauma personnel and psychosocial intervention teams, to assist Cebu following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck at 9:59 p.m. on Sept. 30.

Gov. Erico Aristotle Aumentado called an emergency meeting with government agencies on Oct. 1 and later announced that work and classes in Bohol would resume on Oct. 2 after only minor damage was reported.

The quake, which was felt across the province, triggered power outages in two of Bohol’s three electric distribution utilities.

As a precaution, the governor suspended work and classes on Oct. 1 to allow for inspections of public infrastructure.

During the emergency meeting at the Capitol, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported that all roads remain passable, though some bridges require traffic management and reduced loads pending technical assessments.Borja (Dauis) Bridge: The right span is open to two-way light vehicles, while heavy vehicles will follow an alternate traffic scheme, according to DPWH District Engineer Julius Caesar Cadao.

Castil (Dauis) Bridge: Passable only to light vehicles.

Other bridges: Assessments continue at the Panggangan-Calape and Catigbian-Sagbayan bridges.

The Department of Education (DepEd) reported only minor cracks in some public schools, which municipal disaster teams have deemed safe for occupancy.

The Congressional Athletic Meets will proceed as scheduled, though Aumentado directed DepEd to hold all games outdoors as a precaution.

All seaports reported no damage.

Provincial hospitals temporarily evacuated patients during the quake but have since returned them to their rooms, according to Provincial DRRMO Anthony Damalerio.

The Department of Health is on white alert, keeping medical staff on standby for deployment.

While the quake’s offshore epicenter did not produce waves, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) Bohol Officer-in-Charge Engr. Nolan Evangelista reported an unusual incident in Barangay Manga, where a motorcycle parked near the shoreline was displaced by about two meters.

Evangelista added that the tremor and its aftershocks helped release pressure on nearby faults, reducing the risk of a major movement in the immediate future.

Normal work in Bohol is set to resume on Oct. 2, Aumentado said. (RAHC/PIA Bohol)