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| Loboc church 2 years ago before becoming an earthquake aftermath. The Belfry that stood a few meters across this view and possibly my vantage point where I took the shot also collapsed in the same event. See images and videos of the aftermath here. |
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and perform your vows to the Most High,
And call upon me in the day of trouble; I
will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.
Psalm 50:14-15
Panic, regardless of extent, hit us at one time or another. The
slightest scare and sheer change to plans devastate us. Unexpected events shake
us -- all because we are afraid of not being able to take control of
circumstances. We want to be heroes. We always want to be on top of things and
the moment we start tipping the scale, we go crazy of the slightest possibility
of losing our balance. And sometimes, when we have lost against surprise, we
always remind ourselves to always be aware of the signs to avoid a repeat.
I, too, want to perfect the stories my way at all times. And I thought
I had it until the latest 7.2 magnitude earthquake happened. I was sleeping the
morning the earth underneath me shook madly. The sound of the squeaking
ceiling, the falling items from my desk, the shaking wall spewing sediments of
concrete on the floor down to the stairs, and the noisy neighborhood sped me
out of the house and into open space. Others call it “the worst alarm”. I aptly
put it as “my wake-up call”. It literally shook my drowsy cells to life. I
thought what I saw were harbingers of a greater catastrophe. When it ceased a
few seconds after I was safe, I felt utter relief.
It dawned on me the reality of how natural calamities like these leave
us helpless. I mean, we can still be heroes and attempt to save lives while it
happen, but even heroes die saving. The reality of death is so immense so much
that it has become the priciest of prize scientist and inventors lust to cheat
up to now. And all efforts by far remain futile. The least success they have,
maybe, is deferring the results of ageing – but not age itself.
I wandered around town hours after the quake and saw for myself how the
aftershocks managed to maintain fear and anxiety in everyone. The scene was
ghostly and their faces looked ghastly dull and empty. There were only a few
out in the streets. Traffic was bad in some junctions but other areas appear
deserted. It almost seemed like you could run will-nilly anywhere with less
probability of getting bumped by a car. To fans of zombie movies, it could well
be put as a “zombie land”.
I journeyed the streets of Colon, downtown of Cebu. It was widely
spoken that the belfry of Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino was
broken. Concrete
walls on some of the old buildings were either cracked or shattered. Fallen
debris are conspicuous in some areas. It was not really the most horrible
scene, but the damage is noticeable. What used to be the most crowded part of
town seemed solitary today.
A couple of strong aftershocks got me back up at my feet while eating
in an old restaurant (as if really testing limits). I and another customer
almost fled without paying. Everyone ran to the streets again and when it felt
safe, went back in.
My knees were still wobbly when I got onto a jeepney. My stop was near
Cebu Doctors Hospital rumored to have had damages in one of their machine
rooms. It required no digging into further details because the sights of
patients under tents outside the parking area and at the roadside tell the
story. Oxygen tanks and other medical equipment were set-up outside and
treatment is on-going (video
here). My salute goes to all the hospital doctors, nurses,
staff, and crew who stayed to attend to the patients. I could only leave to my
imagination the risk they have to courageously fight through when the actual
7.2 magnitude earthquake happened. It must be gruelling deciding whether to abandon
ship or stay with their patients.
I finally made my way home unscathed. Even if it started here today, I
still feel safer coming back to a familiar place. I know I have to remain alert
for the next 24 hours for similar or worse case, however, I know there is
nothing I can do about the situation. The nature of the event is too large to
put into my own hands or anybody else’s. My mind, in fact, is too limited to
even comprehend why it happens as it is. If superheroes existed, I would have
dialed to reach them. Unfortunately, they are but only ready escapes from reality.
Nothing is clearer than understanding that God’s sovereignty is at work. Failure
to realize that at the end of the day would certainly be an awful miss.
I mourn for those whose loved ones have died in this tragedy. I pray
for treatment and healing of those who are injured. I praise God for everyone
else who survived. I thank God, I am alive.
Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and perform your vows to the Most High,
And call upon me in the day of trouble; I
will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.
Psalm 50:14-15
The scripture I wrapped around this article is the same scripture on my
smart phone from the DailyBible mobile application I installed for free. Those were
the words I opened onto a few minutes after the 15 to 30 seconds shaking of the
ground. I suggest, if you have not yet installed a similar application, that
you do now too. It can be a handy source of comfort at times when you need it most.
Note: I am still
experiencing dizzying aftershocks of the earthquake while writing.
Be safe. God loves you.
