All court hearings in Cebu have shifted online after engineers ordered the immediate evacuation of the Quimonda I.T. Center, which sustained visible cracks from last week’s magnitude 6.9 earthquake.
The Office of the Building Official (OBO), the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC), and the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) inspected the structure and declared it unsafe until repairs are completed.
Architect Florante Catalan, head of the OBO, urged occupants to vacate the building without delay.
“Need sila mo-clean sa area para mapaspas ang trabaho. Atong ma-recommend initially is to vacate ang mga tawo para continuous ang repair ug malikayan ang disgrasya,” he said on Tuesday, October 7.
Located along Don Sergio Osmeña Avenue in the North Reclamation Area, the Quimonda I.T. Center houses most of Cebu City’s Regional Trial Courts (RTCs) and Municipal Trial Courts in Cities (MTCCs).
CDRRMC head and Councilor Dave Tumulak said the city government and building management agreed to empty the premises immediately, adding that repairs may take up to three months.
Court operations will continue through videoconferencing, while the outdoor ground-floor area remains open for bail posting.
The Supreme Court, through Circular No. 291-2025 issued by the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) on October 4, suspended work in trial courts located in earthquake-damaged buildings in Cebu City, Bogo City, Iloilo City, and Roxas City.
The OCA instructed affected courts to handle urgent matters—including bail applications, release orders, and habeas corpus petitions—through online or on-call arrangements, and to coordinate with Regional Court Administrators to secure temporary venues.
Tumulak said the Quimonda building had sustained earlier structural damage from the 2013 earthquake, which was worsened by last week’s tremor. He urged building owners and safety officers to conduct retrofitting once risks are detected.
City engineers have inspected about 80% of school buildings in Cebu City, finding around 2% needing major repairs, mostly in upland barangays. Mayor Nestor Archival said schools cleared by engineers can gradually resume in-person classes.
Archival added that the city will also inspect major infrastructure—including Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) structures—before the system’s pilot run, assuring residents that safety checks remain a top priority in the ongoing quake response.
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