Quake-affected residents in Medellin receive cash aid

Local

RESIDENTS who were affected by last year’s magnitude 6.9 earthquake received financial and food assistance from the Cebu Provincial Government as aid distribution continued in northern Cebu on Wednesday, May 20.

The first round of distribution was held at the Medellin Sports Complex, where 1,394 beneficiaries from Medellin and Daanbantayan towns each received P10,000 cash assistance from the Cebu Provincial Government.

Additionallty, each of them received 10 kilos of rice from the office of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Of the total beneficiaries in the first distribution, 1,092 came from Medellin while 302 were from Daanbantayan.

Records from the Provincial Government showed that the Medellin beneficiaries received a total of P10.92 million in assistance, while recipients from Daanbantayan received P3.02 million, bringing the May 20 distribution to P13.94 million.

The distribution in Medellin ran from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Meanwhile, another round of distribution is scheduled on Thursday, May 21, in the municipality of San Remigio from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Provincial records showed that 3,438 beneficiaries in San Remigio are set to receive P34.38 million in calamity assistance.

The San Remigio payout will be handled by 11 cashiers, with individual assignments ranging from 288 to 357 beneficiaries each.

Combined figures from the Medellin and San Remigio distributions showed that a total of 4,832 beneficiaries are expected to receive P48.32 million in assistance from the Cebu Provincial Government.

In her speech during the Medellin distribution, Gov. Pamela Baricuatro acknowledged that the assistance came months after the earthquake but said the aid remained important for affected families as the global oil crisis continues to affect daily living costs.

“Ang akong gusto naa koy mahatag ninyo. Kay og mag tuga-tuga ko og apil ana ilang mga politikanhon karon, wala jud koy mahatag ninyo," she said.

" Wala say politika run mao nang akong giingon colorless ko kay di ko ganahan maapila’g politika ang akong trabaho,” Baricuatro added.

In an interview, Baricuatro explained that the provincial government had already processed the calamity assistance since the beginning of the year, but the release encountered delays during the approval process before the Provincial Board.

Baricuatro also addressed the earlier disorganized distribution that caused delays in the program, where she personally stepped in to manage the situation.

The governor said the incident exposed the lack of a proper system in place and described it as a “learning curve.”

She added that she had to intervene because coordination with the host local government unit of Medellin was unclear, but assured that the same problem would no longer happen in future distributions.

Joining the governor during the distribution were Medellin Mayor Edwin Salimbangon, Daanbantayan Mayor Gilbert Arrabis, Provincial Engineer Hector Jamora, and 4th District Board Member Nelson Mondigo.

The beneficiaries included residents whose houses were destroyed by the earthquake that hit northern Cebu on September 30, 2025.

After the distribution activity in Medellin, Baricuatro also inspected several infrastructure projects in northern Cebu, including bridges damaged by the 6.9-magnitude earthquake last year.

Together with 4th District Board Member Nelson Mondigo, the governor checked the ongoing reconstruction of the Piyo Bridge in the town of Tabogon on Wednesday, May 20.

The P16.8-million bridge project, funded by the Cebu Provincial Government, is among the 13 bridges currently undergoing repair or reconstruction as part of the Capitol’s rebuilding efforts in earthquake-hit northern Cebu towns

Earlier, the Cebu Provincial Government also started rehabilitation works on four more earthquake-damaged bridges in northern Cebu under the province’s continuing recovery program.

The new projects, worth P94.2 million, include the rehabilitation of Poblacion Borbon Bridge I and II, Tabunan Bridge I and II in Borbon, and Calumboyan Bridge in Sogod.

The projects are on top of at least eight other bridge repairs and reconstruction works already ongoing in Cebu’s fourth and fifth districts with a combined contract cost of P159.7 million.

Among the bridges currently undergoing rehabilitation are Cabica Bridge, Cadaruhan Bridge, and Tagnucan Bridge in Borbon; Poblacion–Suba Bridge in Daanbantayan; Guadalupe Bridge in Bogo City; Tabunok Bridge in Sogod; Piyo Bridge in Tabogon; and Lamintak Bridge in Medellin.(MyTVCebu)