No casualties, damage reported in Cebu City

April 23, 2019

CEBU CITY-- No casualties were reported in this city where Intensity Three was recorded following a 6.5 magnitude quake in Eastern Samar.

People in upper floors of the legislative building inside the Cebu Capitol experienced dizziness.

Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) information officer Jules Regner said eight local government units and two cities said no untoward incident happened.

But some reported dizziness.

Grace Barnido, 35 and married, security agent of Cebu Vice Gov Agnes Magpale, sat down as the earthquake happened.

Joan Corro, 32 and a staff of one of the provincial board members working at the third floor of a four-floor building, felt dizzy as the computer screen moved sideways, forcing her to stop.

Brando Velasquez, a staff at the Cebu Sports Commission in the second floor, said he initially thought a lady co-worker was walking before he realized it was earthquake.

As standard procedure, Regner said all 1,500 capitol workers left their respective offices at 1:43 pm and proceeded to their assigned areas outside buildings to keep themselves safe.

He said by 2:07 p.m. all four major buildings inside the Capitol Compound were assessed by a team from the provincial engineer's office. By 2:33 pm. all were back in their workstations.

By 3:05 PDRRMO head Baltazar Tribunalo ordered his men to check all 51 Cebu local government units.

The towns of Asturias, Poro, Aloguinsan, Daanbantayan, Santander, Sibonga, Minglanilla, San Francisco, and the cities of Bogo and Danao have reported no untoward incident.

The remaining 41 LGUs have yet to submit their report, though Regner is confident that everyone in Cebu is safe.

Employees of Cebu City Palace of Justice, remained calm as they all went out of the building minutes after the tremor. said security guard Lucio Fernandez. DMS