Nearly two weeks after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck northern Cebu, thousands of evacuees remain in temporary shelters, grappling with a dual crisis of spreading illness and psychological distress.
Respiratory infections are rising rapidly in crowded tents, while many families continue to reel emotionally from the disaster.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Mary Ann Josephine Arsenal said on Friday, October 11, that survivors cannot be expected to “bounce back immediately” from such a catastrophe, adding that ridicule and negative remarks only deepen their burden.
The Provincial Health Office (PHO) has confirmed 75 cases of acute respiratory infection—50 in Borbon and 25 in Sogod—with other towns reporting wounds and unexplained fevers. Arsenal said heat, rain, and cramped conditions are accelerating transmission.
“Kon mahimo, dili lang mosuroy sa laing mga tents” to avoid picking up and passing along infections, she urged, advising residents to limit movement between shelters.
The PHO has dispatched three waves of medicines and vitamins to Bogo City and nearby municipalities including San Remigio, Medellin, Borbon, Sogod, Tabuelan, and Tabogon.
In Bogo, where more than 34,000 families remain displaced, the City Health Office has logged a steady increase in coughs, colds, and fevers, mostly among children and the elderly.
Assistant City Health Officer Dr. Shiela Faciol said mobile medical teams make daily rounds, each attending to 80–100 patients, noting that wide day-night temperature swings aggravate symptoms.
Despite limited facilities, no diarrhea or food-poisoning cases have been reported. Donations from private groups and other LGUs continue to bolster medicine and vitamin supplies.
In Medellin’s island barangay of Gibitngil, local officials rescued a family of 12 on October 8 after reports of severe psychological distress. The group, including a pregnant woman and a child, had refused food and water for days following the quake; they are now stable after treatment.
To address mental health needs, the PHO has deployed 90 specialists to deliver psychological first aid, conduct responder debriefings, and provide mental-health education to affected families.
Arsenal said psychosocial support has become one of the most challenging fronts in the recovery.
The earthquake left 74 dead, 559 injured, and nearly 72,000 houses damaged across northern Cebu, displacing over 411,000 people who now face both visible injuries and the less-seen wounds of trauma.
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