Plan International aids ‘Bualoi’ and Cebu quake survivors

Children’s and girls’ rights organization Plan International Pilipinas has mobilized emergency teams to assist communities hit by Severe Tropical Storm Bualoi (Opong) in Masbate and the magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Cebu.

On Sept. 26, 2025, Bualoi dumped heavy rains and fierce winds and made six landfalls across Eastern Visayas, Masbate, and Mimaropa, with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reporting 1,080,389 families affected across 16 regions.

Masbate counted 106,708 affected families, and in Mobo the storm displaced households into temporary shelters and left roads impassable, cutting access to essential goods and services.

“Typhoon Opong left more than just uprooted trees, shattered homes, and broken roads—it left children and families living in fear,” said Hazel Rivas of the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office in Mobo.

On Sept. 30, a powerful quake with Bogo City as the epicenter damaged infrastructure, blocked key roads between Cebu City and Bogo, and strained hospitals amid a surge of injured patients, with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology warning of continuing aftershocks.

According to the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the earthquake caused 56 confirmed deaths and injured more than 200 people, prompting a state of calamity and urgent calls for safe water, food, medicines, sleeping kits, and hygiene supplies.

“In times of crisis, children—especially girls—face heightened risks and vulnerabilities, and our emergency response activities are not just about delivering aid, but about ensuring that every intervention protects, empowers, and uplifts those most at risk,” said Plan International Pilipinas Executive Director Pebbles Sanchez-Ogang.

Plan International, through the ACCESS Project, has deployed a team to Masbate to distribute hygiene kits and sent another team to Cebu for rapid assessments and coordination with local authorities and partners.

“Plan International Pilipinas is responding to the immediate and basic needs of affected families, and we are closely coordinating with key partners to fast-track the delivery of emergency items,” Sanchez-Ogang added.

The organization said its response is child-centered and gender-responsive, prioritizing children, girls, persons with disabilities, and marginalized communities while supporting both urgent needs and long-term recovery.

The Philippines, an archipelago along the Pacific Ring of Fire and in the path of Western Pacific cyclones, faces frequent typhoons and earthquakes, making coordinated humanitarian action essential to protect lives and restore livelihoods.