Island Province of Siquijor sends ₱2.5M aid to earthquake-hit Northern Cebu

CEBU -- The Provincial Government of Siquijor, the third smallest province in the Philippines, rushed to aid earthquake-affected areas in Northern Cebu, delivering ₱2.5 million worth of relief assistance following the September 30 earthquake.

Usually, it's the bigger provinces extending help to smaller ones. But this time, Siquijor showed that heart matters more than size. "When disaster strikes, we don't measure our capacity to help by the size of our province. We measure it by the size of our hearts," Siquijor Governor Jake Vincent Villa said.

Villa personally led the response effort, which began with a Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) emergency meeting on October 2 to finalize Siquijor’s response plan.  By October 4 at 9:00 PM, a team of 13 responders had arrived at Bogo City Hall, led by PDRRMO OIC Blezela Omictin, ready to begin their 10-day mission.

The relief effort wasn't just a government initiative.  Ordinary Siquijodnons came together to help their neighbors in Cebu.  Families donated bottled water, canned goods, and rice from their own homes. These personal contributions from everyday citizens joined the official provincial relief package, turning the response into a true community effort, governor Villa bared.

The assistance package included immediate relief items such as drinking water, canned goods, and rice, ensuring families had access to basic necessities while recovering from the disaster. Two water trucks, each with a 2,000-liter capacity, were deployed to provide water for bathing and laundry in areas where water supply had been disrupted.

Medical assistance followed shortly after, with medicines and vitamins arriving on October 11. These were officially turned over to Board Member Stanley Caminero and Dr. Kevin Basco, the appointed Incident Commander at Bogo Hospital.

Governor Villa personally visited the affected areas to assess the situation on the ground and identify what additional support Siquijor could provide.  Siquijor's relief operations reached multiple communities across six municipalities in Northern Cebu: Poblacion, Bogo City; barangays Antipolo, Panugnawan and Poblacion in Medellin; Barangay Poblacion in San Remigio; Barangay Caduawan in Tabogon; Barangay Liki in Sogod; and Barangay Talisay in Daan Bantayan.

"Northern Cebu needed help, and Siquijor answered. That's what neighbors do. That's what family does," Governor Villa told this writer. (Photos: Siquijor Province)