Eastern visayas: Eastern Visayas is sending a 90-man team to Bogo City, Cebu, to augment post-disaster humanitarian response after Tuesday night's magnitude 6.9 earthquake.

According to Philippines News Agency, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Eastern Visayas regional director Lord Byron Torrecarion announced that half of the team, along with necessary equipment, arrived in Cebu on Thursday, and the remainder will be dispatched on Friday. Torrecarion emphasized the region's readiness to assist, highlighting their proximity to Cebu province as a strategic advantage in providing support.

The team comprises personnel from OCD, Philippine Army, Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Air Force, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Department of Information and Communications Technology. Torrecarion mentioned that their support units are prepared to stay in Cebu for a minimum of five days, or longer if needed, demonstrating their capability in handling humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.

Among the equipment transported to Cebu are water filtration units, water tanker trucks, and police and military trucks. Lt. Col. Nestor Valenzuela, commander of the Philippine Army's 8th Forward Service Support Unit, noted that a field kitchen from the Philippine Army, capable of feeding up to 500 persons and equipped with generators and solar power, was also sent to ensure self-sustainment.

The magnitude 6.9 earthquake, which struck near Bogo City, Cebu, left a trail of destruction, with the reported death toll at 72 as of Thursday.