SINGAPORE - The Singapore Red Cross (SRC) has pledged to contribute $50,000 in humanitarian aid to support emergency relief in Cebu

after a 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck

The amount will be used to support urgent medical needs, water sanitation and hygiene, including mental and psychosocial help by the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), said the SRC in a statement on Oct 3.

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

Its disaster surveillance team is also keeping tabs on the incoming Tropical Cyclone Matmo that is expected to make landfall in the Philippines later on Oct 3.

SRC said it is in close coordination with its local humanitarian partners, including the PRC, to ensure assistance is directed to “the most urgent and evolving needs on the ground”.

SRC secretary-general and chief executive Benjamin William said: “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.”

The SRC’s contribution is intended to provide immediate assistance, helping to ensure that essential needs are met swiftly and that hope remains alive, he added.

The PRC has also carried out its own assessments and emergency responses, including dispatching blood units to the Cebu Provincial Hospital in Bongo, deploying two emergency medical service teams to support the hospitals, and food trucks and water tanks to serve the affected communities with hot meals and clean water.

The death toll in Cebu stood at 72 as of Oct 2, with an estimated 20,000 displaced and infrastructure across the central ...