A Night of Shaking

 It was on **September 30, 2025** (Tuesday), around 10 p.m. It was supposed to be a peaceful night, but it turned out otherwise. A tremendous earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 struck our town. As the earthquake hit, all electricity was cut off. Houses kept shaking in the middle of the darkness. People were screaming and crying out of fear. I was with my roommates when it happened, and we were all very nervous at that time. Our minds were full of negative thoughts, and our hearts were beating fast. We were far from our parents, and it was so dark that we couldn’t even see what was falling behind or in front of us. Some of our things fell to the floor, but we ignored them. The only words that came out of our mouths were, “God, help us.” We kept praying until the earthquake stopped. The earthquake lasted for about a minute. As the intensity diminished, we tried to calm ourselves. We tried to be brave and have faith in God. We went out to the road because we knew there would be aftershocks. People were gathering in the streets, afraid to go back home. A few minutes later, we received news that there were strong currents and changes in sea water levels. Some people started to panic, scared that a tsunami might hit us. We wondered where we could run, since there were no mountains nearby only houses and buildings. Meanwhile, we noticed some people hurrying home to pack their belongings, so we did the same. We immediately packed our important things and went outside to wait for further announcements. We tried to reach our parents and relatives, but my friends’ phones had no signal. Thankfully, mine did. By God’s grace, our families were safe. When we stayed near the road, aftershocks still haunted us. We didn’t know when they would stop, and it was terrifying because it was still the middle of the night. We tried not to sleep and kept our senses awake because we needed to stay alert at all times. Throughout the night, we observed our surroundings until morning came.   In the morning, we found out that Bogo City, Cebu was the epicenter of the earthquake, which explained why it was so strong. It greatly affected nearby towns such as San Remigio (our hometown) and Daanbantayan.  We also found out that one of Cebu’s heritage churches, the Archdiocesan Shrine of Santa Rosa de Lima,in Daanbantayan was partially collapsed. Despite this, the faith and devotion of the people remained strong and even grew stronger.   Moreover, some houses were totally destroyed, roads were broken, and many schools were also damaged, some food chain also destroyed especially in Bogo City. The San Remigio Sports Complex also collapsed. Sadly, some basketball players were inside when the earthquake occurred. They were very close to the exit, but unfortunately, they didn’t make it. After the earthquake people chose to sleep outside, some are on the streets, afraid to go inside and sleep their home. As of now, 9,108 aftershocks have been recorded in just a week and are still ongoing. There were also some sinkholes found in different places and also fault lines.   However, many Filipinos are helping each other, providing relief goods to the affected areas. As we scroll through our phones, we see many people waiting for assistance, some holding signs that say, “Help us, we need food and water.” Fortunately, Filipinos are quick to help and take immediate action.   Amidst the disaster, Filipinos continue to show resilience, generosity, and hope, striving to recover from this traumatic event. We are hoping to overcome this and rise again.  Rise and Be Strong! 🇵🇭