Manila 6th District Representative Benny Abante, Senior Pastor of the Metropolitan Bible Baptist Ekklesia (MBBE), said the church is mobilizing assistance for Baptist congregations in Cebu that were impacted by the powerful earthquake that struck the province.
“We are in touch with our pastors and brethren in Cebu to assess the damage and identify their needs,” said the pastor-lawmaker.
“As we have done in past calamities, the MBBE and BIBLEMODE (Bible Believers League for Morality and Democracy) will immediately mobilize resources to provide assistance and support our fellow Baptists in the affected areas,” Abante explained.
“We are committed to standing with them in their time of need.”
The veteran legislator, who also heads BIBLEMODE, added that “our brethren can be assured that help is on the way. We are committed to standing with them in their time of need, and we continue to ask for prayers for the safety and recovery of those affected by the quake.”
The seasoned lawmaker also appealed for continued prayers for those affected by the natural calamity.
“Material aid is vital, but we must not forget to lift up our brethren in Cebu in prayer.”
“Material aid is vital,” he said, “but we must not forget to lift up our brethren in Cebu in prayer. It is our duty as one body in Christ to stand together in the face of loss and hardship.”
The magnitude-6.9 earthquake struck off the coast of northern Cebu on the evening of September 30, with its epicenter near Bogo City. The tremor unleashed intense shaking across northern Cebu municipalities, damaging homes, churches, bridges, and community structures.
Official reports indicate at least 72 fatalities, most of them in Bogo City, San Remigio, and Medellín, with nearly 300 others injured and dozens still unaccounted for.
In San Remigio, a tragic collapse of a sports complex during a basketball game claimed multiple lives, while historic churches, such as the Archdiocesan Shrine of Santa Rosa de Lima in Daanbantayan, sustained heavy damage. Power lines and key transmission grids connecting Cebu to neighboring islands were also disrupted, causing widespread blackouts in the area.
Hundreds of aftershocks have been recorded since the main quake, complicating rescue and relief operations that were already hampered by heavy rains, landslides, and communication outages.
The disaster is now being described as one of the deadliest earthquakes in the Philippines in recent years.
