It was September 30, 2025, just a normal night, a normal conversation with friends and a fun time together with our families. Earlier that night, I was just sitting and attending class with my classmates and when the class dismissed, few of my classmates agreed to buy and have an ice cream with me, it was all normal and a good day with friends, and even when I got home, I even have a dinner with my parents. After having dinner, my parents decided to sleep on my auntie’s rest house so me and my brother were left alone in our house and then proceeded to enter in each of our rooms. Everything was normal, I even got FaceTime with my boyfriend and a little chitchat with friends but when the clock strikes at 9:59, the whole ground was severely shaking. I didn’t even think that it was an earthquake. The shake lasted I think 30-40 seconds but while it was shaking, all I think is my 13 years old brother sleeping in his room.
It was still shaking and I still forced to hold on to our cabinet and then forced to stand while shouting my brother’s name. As the shaking was finally over, I then heard my brother responding. I finally felt relieved because I know that my brother is safe.
When I got out into my room I then saw my brother and then held his hand, I didn’t even notice the broken glasses on the floor, I just want to save my brother and get out of there. While I was twisting our doorknob, I heard the wife of my uncle crying and shouting my name from outside, I panicked as I walked out of our door, and then my mother called, my hands are shaking and my heart is racing. I couldn’t answer the phone, and then the phone call stopped. I hurriedly went to the wife of my uncle and hugged her and her daughter. She was crying and panicking thinking about they almost died because their cabinet almost fell. By the way this is what the inside of our house looks like, I didn’t even know how we managed to get out of there. Before the earthquake, our house is our safe place but now I couldn’t enter without overthinking that anytime soon the house would collapse with just a small shake.
Anyway, I then called my boyfriend who was in Danao City, and 2 hours drive away from our home. I then asked him if they’re okay and he said his okay. While I was calling with my boyfriend, we then hurriedly went to my parents are, as we are walking to an open ground I finally saw my parents running towards us I felt finally relieved- “they’re okay” I said to myself. Our parents then hugged us and cried. And then the ground was shaking again. The aftershocks are still strong like it was a magnitude 4-5. The aftershocks happend every 3-5 mins I guess. My mother then had a panic attack, I was so scared and worried, thinking that all people are panicking and scared and then no one other than us could help my mother. I then handed my mother a rosary to help her ease her panic attack and my father also handed her a glass of water.
We then decided to take our carpets, blankets and pillows outside since it was 11 PM and my cousin and my brother are already sleepy and wanted to sleep. We decided to sleep and stay outside since we can’t stay inside our houses and we are afraid that our house would collapse due to the earthquake. It was past midnight and my phone battery is now low and I can’t even sleep, I then opened my social media app and found that it was a magnitude 6.9 earthquake. And then suddenly the clouds started to appear and thinking anytime soon it would rain, lucky us that my auntie has a rest house and had a two small huts to stay on , it is made up of bamboo or light materials and we think that it is safe for the aftershocks. It was now 2 Am and we can’t sleep and the grounds are still shaking. Minutes later and it rained, while the thunder is rumbling above the ground also shakes. I couldn’t sleep enough thinking the grounds are still awake.
It is now morning and the trauma and the bad memories are still fresh. We then checked inside the house and saw our things broke into pieces. My parents couldn’t hold their emotions and they burst into tears. By the way this is what our place looks like after the Magnitude 6.9 earthquake.
But even though we felt aftershocks every day we still continue to thrive. I even help my cousin to read a book just to make her calm.
Since we don’t have electricity here, my uncle then shared his idea, he made a solar powered charger, I didn’t know how he made this but we’re glad that it helps a lot.
At that night we used our flashlights during our dinner so that we can see our foods while we’re eating it’s hard but we still fought.
I know it’s hard, traumatizing, and scary for us but we just keep on going and always prayed that we can get back to our normal life very soon and each of us will heal their trauma.