Singapore, 3 October 2025 – In response to the devastation caused by the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Cebu on 1 October 2025, the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) will contribute SGD 50,000 to support urgent medical needs, water sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and mental health and psychosocial support activities by the Philippine Red Cross (PRC).

SRC is also in discussions with other partners on the ground to deploy prepositioned water filters to affected communities. 

At the same time, SRC’s disaster surveillance team is closely monitoring the incoming Tropical Cyclone Matmo, expected to make landfall in the Philippines today. 

SRC remains in close coordination with our local humanitarian partners, including the PRC, to ensure assistance directly addresses the most urgent and evolving needs on the ground.

“The situation in the Philippines is dire; thousands have lost their loved ones, homes, and livelihoods. They might soon be confronted with another disaster with the incoming tropical storm. The situation is fluid, with the needs on the ground evolving daily. Our contribution is intended to provide immediate assistance, helping to ensure that essential needs are met swiftly and that hope remains alive. We stand in solidarity with our sister national society and the impacted communities in these challenging times,” said Mr Benjamin William, Secretary General/CEO, Singapore Red Cross.  

The death toll continues to climb, with thousands left displaced and infrastructure across the central Philippines in ruins. PRC has mobilised swiftly, conducting rapid assessments and emergency responses, such as providing WASH, first aid and welfare services. They have also dispatched blood units to the Cebu Provincial Hospital in Bogo, deployed two emergency medical service teams to support the overwhelmed hospitals, and food trucks and water tanks to serve the affected communities with hot meals and clean water.

Since its initial earthquake on 1 October 2025, Philippines has experienced more than 2,400 aftershocks, intensifying the devastation. Severe damage has been reported to infrastructure, including roads, bridges, schools, churches, utility services facilities, markets, and government buildings. Recovery efforts are further hampered by persistent rain, power outages, and damaged infrastructures. Cebu and other provinces are still recovering from a tropical storm that battered the central region last week, making search and rescue operations even more difficult.

Photo by IFRC