Manila, Oct. 1 -- An initial 158 Philippine Army (PA) personnel have been deployed and now conducting search and rescue missions in areas affected by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit Bogo City, Cebu late Tuesday night.

In a statement on Wednesday, PA spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said the deployed teams are from their 53rd Engineer Brigade.

"The teams also deployed an ambulance and mission-essential equipment to administer immediate medical care to the injured individuals," Dema-ala said.

The PA teams cover Medellin, Cebu City, and Lapulapu City in Cebu; Brgy. Caradio-an in Himamaylan, Negros Occidental; Sabang II in Allen, Northern Samar; Kuta Kankabato in Brgy. San Jose, Tacloban City; and Dingle, Iloilo.

As of Wednesday af...