PRO-NIR on full alert after 6.9 quake in Cebu

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — The Police Regional Office–Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) has been placed on full alert following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck northern Cebu and affected Negros Island on Tuesday night.

According to Police Brig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay, PRO-NIR director, all police units in the region are collaborating with local government units (LGUs), the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices (DRRMOs) to monitor the situation, assess damage, and ensure public safety.

In some areas of Negros Island, including Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor, classes and government work were suspended on Wednesday, Oct. 1, while damage assessments continued.

Fortunately, no major damage or casualties have been reported at this time.

Ibay urged the public to stay alert and follow the guidance of local disaster offices and relevant government agencies.

He assured that the police are prepared to assist and maintain order, especially in the event of aftershocks or other related incidents.

“On behalf of PRO-NIR, I express our deepest concern for the safety and well-being of everyone,” Ibay stated.

He emphasized the importance of staying calm, disciplined, and ready to respond to any further developments, reaffirming the regional office’s commitment to safeguarding lives and property and providing prompt assistance when needed.

According to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD)–NIR, class suspensions at all levels in public and private schools were imposed in Tanjay City, Dauin, Bindoy, and Mabinay in Negros Oriental.

In Siquijor, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) issued an advisory on Wednesday recommending the shift of regular classes to modular learning in all public schools in the province due to the recent tremor.

The PDRRMC said that although Siquijor was not the epicenter, the province nonetheless experienced shocks due to its proximity to the affected areas.

The earthquake’s impact may have caused unseen damage to school facilities and infrastructure, and the province aims to ensure that students can continue their education safely before they return to their classrooms, it stated.

Modular classes will allow students to learn without the risks associated with traveling to and attending classes in potentially damaged school buildings.

Private schools in Siquijor are likewise strongly advised to assess the situation of their schools and make discretionary preventive and response measures that will ensure the safety and well-being of their students and make decisions that best suit their schools’ specific needs and circumstances.

Twenty-eight LGUs in Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, also suspended classes on Wednesday, among them Manapla, Toboso, Escalante City, Murcia, Kabankalan City, Bago City, Isabela, Himamaylan City, Binalbagan, La Castellana, Hinoba-an, Moises Padilla, San Enrique, Calatrava, Hinigaran, Pontevedra, La Carlota City, Don Salvador Benedicto, Cadiz City, Pulupandan, Valladolid, Silay City, Talisay City, and Cauayan.

E.B. Magalona and Sagay City, as well as Bacolod City, were the first LGUs to announce the class suspensions.

A two-day class suspension was imposed in Victorias City from Oct. 1 to 2.

Work in government offices in E.B. Magalona, Himamaylan City, Binalbagan, Isabela, Pontevedra, La Castellana, Don Salvador Benedicto, La Carlota City, and the provincial government was also suspended on Wednesday, according to the PDRRMC in Negros Occidental.

Face-to-face classes at all levels in public and private schools in Bacolod City were suspended on Wednesday upon the recommendation of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (DRRMC) following the Intensity V earthquake felt in the city.

Schools are encouraged to shift to synchronous and alternative modes of online learning.

Private establishments and offices are strongly encouraged to conduct Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis to safeguard the safety and welfare of their employees.

The city government conducted a rapid damage assessment on Wednesday, with a team led by Dr. Laarni Pornan, head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), and City Engineer Loben Rafael Ceballos inspecting the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC).

After the inspection, Pornan declared that the BCGC building is safe for occupancy and that no major damage was noted.

Ceballos said the BCGC building has a seismic gap, which helps mitigate the impact of an earthquake on the structure.

Assessment is ongoing in other government buildings, including schools and health offices, and in infrastructure projects.