Bacolod assesses quake damage after Cebu aftershock

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY – The city government conducted another rapid damage assessment and needs analysis in all government schools starting Monday after shaking from a magnitude 6.0 aftershock in Bogo City, Cebu.

Mayor Greg Gasataya said the City Engineer’s Office, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, and the Office of the Building Official will lead the inspection in coordination with the Department of Education and school administrators.

Gasataya also ordered the suspension of classes on Monday after a meeting with DepEd and the CDRRMO, encouraging schools to shift to modular distance learning and performance tasks and projects to ensure that learning competencies are met.

In Negros Occidental, Mayor Marina Javellana-Yao and Mayor Rowena Lizares announced class suspensions in Bago City and Talisay City, respectively, as a precautionary measure to ensure public safety.

In Silay City, Mayor Joedith Gallego left it to school heads to decide whether a class suspension was necessary.

The recent shaking was felt in parts of the city and province at 1:06 a.m., part of the series of aftershocks following the magnitude 6.9 quake that hit Bogo City on Sept. 30.

The Sept. 30 tremor caused minor cracks and damage in some classrooms and government buildings here based on the city’s earlier rapid damage assessment.

Local governments advised the public to stay vigilant and seek assistance from authorities if necessary.