Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday, Oct. 2, extended sympathies to the families of earthquake victims in Cebu, as she personally visited towns struck by the magnitude 6.9 tremor that left dozens dead and thousands displaced.

“Pinapaabot namin yung pakikiramay namin sa mga pamilya nung mga namatayan at pinapaabot rin namin yung aming pagsuporta sa mga naapektado… yung mga nasira ang mga bahay at merong mga nasira at mga kagamitan (We extend our condolences to the families of those who died and assure our support to those affected, especially those whose houses and belongings were destroyed),” she said.

The Vice President made rounds in Medellin, Bogo, and San Remigio, meeting local officials and families who lost relatives or whose homes were damaged.

In Bogo City, Duterte inspected a disaster center and visited grieving families with relatives buried due to the quake.

She also went to San Remigio, where two residents had been laid to rest after the disaster, before returning to Bogo to check on landslide victims.

“Merong mga nakaburol na mga patay doon sa Bogo, so binisita din namin yun… Ngayon, narito kami sa isang barangay din sa Bogo para bisitahin yung mga biktima ng landslide (There were burials in Bogo, so we visited those… Now we are here in a barangay in Bogo to visit landslide victims),” she said.

The Vice President said clean water and electricity were the most urgent requirements of affected residents, noting that many areas remain without power.

She also stressed the need for stress debriefing to help families cope with trauma from the disaster and the continuing aftershocks.

“Napakahalaga ng stress debriefing sa mga tao dahil takot sila lahat sa nangyari (Stress debriefing is important because everyone is afraid of what happened),” she said.

“Marami sa kanila ang bigla na lang umiiyak at marami sa kanila ang nagsasabi na hindi nila alam kung ano ang bigla nangyari (Many suddenly cry, saying they don’t understand what just happened),” she added.

The Vice President urged local officials to train communities in assessing the structural safety of homes, saying many families are still afraid to return indoors.

She warned that damaged houses must be checked immediately to prevent casualties should strong aftershocks continue.

“Turuan yung mga tao paano mag-assess sa mga bahay nila… kailangan ayusin para hindi siya maapektuhan sa mga aftershocks dahil napakalakas din yung mga aftershocks (Teach people how to assess if their homes are structurally sound… they need to be fixed so they will not be affected by aftershocks, which remain very strong),” Duterte said.

The Vice President reiterated her call for continued government and community support, emphasizing that recovery would require both immediate relief and long-term assistance.

She said her visits were meant to assure survivors that government attention remains focused on their plight.