AUCKLAND, New Zealand — A severe earthquake rocked the Philippines island province of Cebu Sept. 30. Its aftermath became a social catastrophe for tens of thousands of working people in the region.
Two days after the 6.9-magnitude quake, the death toll stood at 72 people, with hundreds injured and 170,000 displaced. Roads, bridges, houses and churches were damaged or destroyed. Patients at Bogo City’s heavily damaged hospital had to be treated outdoors.
While the search for survivors continues, hundreds of aftershocks still plague the area. This was the deadliest earthquake since 2013, in a nation that sits in the so-called Pacific Rim of Fire.
At least 10 people died in SM Cares Village, originally constructed from scratch to house some of the survivors of Haiyan, a typhoon that killed more than 6,000 people when it swept through the archipelago in 2013.
Speaking to this Militant reporter in Auckland Oct. 3, Meredith Bianes said her family home in the hard-hit town of Medellín suffered cracks in the walls.
“We are worried for the people staying there, including my 96-year-old mum,” Bianes said. “Just this morning, they experienced more aftershocks.” As rain poured down on broken ground Sept. 30, thousands left homeless had nothing but plastic bags to cover themselves.
Media reports show the response of national and local government has been piecemeal at best. Visiting the disaster zone Oct. 2, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. admitted, “We do not have a place to put our displaced families.”
But many toilers expect little help from the government, given revelations of misappropriation of funds that is shaking ruling circles in the Philippines and prompting street protests against government corruption.
According to the Sunstar online news provider, “The Social Security System has opened a special calamity loan program for members” affected by the earthquake and recent typhoons. Loan approvals are capped at 20,000 Philippine pesos (US$345) and interest rates would be lowered to 7%.
Working people are stepping forward to offer solidarity and aid, Bianes said. Some are organizing fundraising, including among the many Filipinos living overseas.