We Will Rise Together as One Cebu

Hey everyone😊 How are you my dear hive friends. It's me again, your college blogger from the Philippines, @itsmejustine, back with another story. I hope you're doing well and I know some of you are still not okay, especially those who live in Cebu where the massive earthquake hit. We can’t give up. Keep fighting everyone!!!!!  It feels a quite longer since I've been able to and write and post my new blog. Life's been have a major challenges lately, especially after the devastating earthquake hit in Cebu on September 30, 2025. Where 6.9 magnitude quake turned everything upside down. It's been hard to shake off the fear and trauma. Even after the main quake, things didn’t calm down right away. The ground kept shaking for days because of many aftershocks for about 8,000 and I hope it will stop soon because many Cebuano's were terrifying, sad, fear, nervous and hurt. A lot of families are still traumatized and can’t sleep well at night because they feel like the ground is still shaking. Many houses were destroyed or badly damaged especially those concrete houses. But it’s not just the damage that hurts—it’s the fear and trauma that everyone still feels every time even a small tremor. After I saw the post of my auntie onFacebook that my grandmother passed away after the massive earthquake on the evening of September 30, 2025, I was shocked, and I knew I had to go home. Like, immediately. So, the next day, October 1, I packed my bags and just went. The roads were a total nightmare—traffic was insane—but I honestly didn't even care. All I wanted was to be with my family and be with them so that I wouldn’t have to worry.  When I was finally home, reality hit me. My family messaged me on Facebook, saying "they're okay," but I knew it was just their way of trying to keep me from worrying about their situation. and I knew it after knowing their situation. Knowing my Tatay's (dad's) story of how scared he was during the earthquake was truly affected me. He recalled to me how they got stuck inside with his coworker while the grounds were still trembling, making it difficult for them to go outside. After learning about his experiences, I was devastated. I simply lost it. You know, I'm just so thankful that everyone survived. But my dad still has a lot of things to deal with. His knees are shaking uncontrollably, and he has a fever and an insane headache. Even though I know he is the strongest person ever, it still breaks my heart to see him in that state.  So, yeah, this is what our house looks like now after the earthquake. Seriously, seeing it for the first time after the earthquake was, like, a total punch in the gut. The bamboo walls (amakan) were, like, completely ripped apart. It wasn’t even that great before, because my Tatay (dad) didn’t have enough money to fix it up, but now it's, like, way worse. Looking at all the damage made me realize how life can be so random and unpredictable, you know? Like, anything can happen at any time. It’s kind of scary, tbh.  Our kitchen, which is made of wood, is now slightly leaning because of the strong quake. The moment I stepped inside, a total wave of sadness just hit me, like, BAM! 😭 This was where we used to eat together, you know? Sharing all our laughs and stories. It's so hard to believe that the same place that's filled with, like, a million happy memories now looks like this. 💔 Still, we try to make use of it and continue eating there whenever possible.  The back of our house suffered even more damage. It’s only half concrete, with the other half made of amakan or bamboo. We also had a small hut that used to be one of our favorite spots. It was sturdy before the earthquake, and we loved spending time there relaxing and talking. But now, it's just way too dangerous to even go inside because it's about to fall apart anytime.    Even after everything we’ve been through—the pain, the fear, and all the losses—we’re still not giving up. We’ll keep moving forward and hold on to hope, no matter how hard things may get.