Hello my dear hivers!!
Today, I would like to tell you about an unexpected incident that has been with us. Honestly, before I even began to write this blog and go through the memory of the whole experience, I was already crying. It was such a tragic moment for us because we never thought of experiencing such a thing, the 6.9 magnitude earthquake that hit the north with its epicenter near Bogo City, Cebu. We really felt the quake here in Ilihan, Tabogon, Cebu. And since our place is only about 20 kilometers away from Bogo, the shock felt very close to home.
This blog was not only intended to share the experience but also as a way to process the event. Sometimes, writing these thoughts and memories helps to lessen one's grief and also acts as a reminder to be grateful that we are safe.
Let me bring you back to the night before everything went wrong. Before all the chaos, I was actually on my laptop doing preparations for our prelim examinations that were scheduled on October 1, 2025. I was studying and writing in my notebook, really hoping that I would be able to familiarize and understand the learning materials that I studied. But not even ten minutes later the ground shaking interrupted what I was doing.
At the moment when we first felt the shakes of the earthquake, I quickly stood up and without thinking twice took my cellphone and laptop with me. Besides, I also shouted at my sister that she must hurry out of the house. This from time to time is what we do when there is an earthquake, we go out of the house immediately. 30 seconds later, power had suddenly gone off just as we were about to leave, things were starting to fall and the feeling of terror was taking hold of me completely.
As I was attempting to open the door, I was so scared and shaking that all I could think of was "Is this it?". The negative thoughts was so intense that even the tiniest objects were getting off the shelves and the absolute darkness was making the situation worse.
My brother was in the other room and he must have heard the noise or feel what was happening because he came over, laid his hand on my shoulder to comfort me.He was constantly saying, "Ate, kalma lang." And to be honest, even though I am a fourth, year psychology student, I still couldn't handle the panic very well, it was my very first time to encounter such a powerful quake and my fear took me over.
When my brother kept saying "kalma lang" for the multiples time I finally gave up on holding the doorknob and allowed him to open it instead. We went outside quickly but I was in a hurry and I fell because two gallons of mineral water had spilled on the floor.I fell hard, and I even hit my head on the floor, but at that time, I was not even aware of it.The only thing I was thinking about was for us to get out of the house safely.
Already the road was cracked when we arrived outside, and my brother kept telling me to calm down. I was crying and hugging on to him tightly. It was only later that I actually realized that I had been holding my laptop all along without knowing it. The hug from my brother and knowing all of us are safe were really giving me strength at that difficult moment.
Thank God for protecting us.
We didn't stay there for long, though. After we had comforted each other, we went straight to the house of my parents which is located on the other side. We had a reunion with tears and hugs and then went to our grandmother's place together with our uncle and aunt who live just nearby. Neighbors slowly came to us and we all stayed in an open safe place, away from houses, vehicles, tricycles, and trees.
Some individuals were crying while others were trembling so much that they seemed to have no control over their bodies. These aftershocks were happening one after another so quickly that in one hour it was nearly impossible to count them. Terrifying was the situation as the earth kept shaking and moving.The terror of not knowing when the next strong shake would hit was so intense that one could not relax his/her guard.
We made a call to my two uncles that were in Bogo City playing basketball that night. Thankfully, they were safe too however with some bruises and bumps. Nevertheless, we still have to be thankful that they are safe.
The earthquake struck at 9:58 PM and after midnight, the aftershocks were still going on. No one, except of the children could sleep.
That night was a nightmare. It quickly showed me how things can change, how life is delicate, and that it is very important to love and value our families and the people that are around us. It was one of the most frightening nights of my life but at the same time it was a great lesson of the strength we get from being together, from love and faith.
It's just amazing to me that despite all the suffering, we are alive, together, and safe. That is the point that keeps us going, the reason to seize the night and not give up.