‘Predictable and preventable’: Cebu quake exposes fault lines in Philippine disaster preparedness

SAN REMIGIO, Cebu – A week after

a 6.9-

magnitude

earthquake tore through northern Cebu

in central Philippines, families are still sleeping in open fields and makeshift tents, too afraid to return home as aftershocks continue to shake the ground.

Across the province, more than 18,000 houses were damaged and in many towns, even the evacuation centres meant to keep people safe have cracked. The earthquake killed 72 people, with nearly 300 injured and more than 170,000 affected in Cebu. The government estimates that some 3 billion pesos (S$67 million) worth of infrastructure in the province was damaged.