Map of the 2013 Bohol Earthquke. Source: https://www.unocha.org/.
On the morning of Tuesday, October 15, 2013, exactly at 8:11 am, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the island of Bohol. The earthquake's epicenter was in the town of Sagbayan, Bohol and was felt strongly in the entire Visayas region and parts of Mindanao. The quake woke up residents who were mostly still asleep since the day was a Muslim holiday which was celebrated nationwide. It was one of the largest earthquakes to hit the region in modern times. Towns and parts of the provinces of both Cebu and Bohol were damaged. Several historical churches built during the Spanish Colonial Era in Bohol were destroyed, with others reduced to rubble such as the church in Loon. In Cebu City, the bellfry of the Santo Nino Church collapsed, the entire ordeal caught on video. For those in Cebu, the earthquake brought up memories of the February 7, 2012 Negros earthquake in which someone made a false alarm of a tsunami scare. The total tally of dead was 22, with 8 still missing to this day, and 976 injured.
At that time, I was still 17 and happened to be in Bohol as my first semestral break as a college freshman student began a few days prior. I was with my family visiting Bohol for the first time since 2009. We were already in Bohol since October 13. We stayed at the Bohol Tropics Hotel and Resort in Tagbilaran City. We were supposed to go to the beach in Panglao Island that day. I was still drowning in my thoughts -- petty thoughts, about how I would be left out again during Halloween by my high school batch and why the paintball match with our classmates didn't push through days ago -- when suddenly the ground shook violently. At first, I thought it was just some heavy equipment being moved but it then I realized it was not heavy equipment but an actual earthquake. Gone were my petty thoughts of not being invited to parties or cancelled paintball match. The only thing in my mind was survival. I then shouted to my brother who was sleeping at the bed next to me and told him to wake up and go out of the cottage. He quickly sprang up out of bed as we both made a run for the outside. My parents were in the other cottage next to ours. They went out the moment we got out. Due to the intensity of the moment, I ran outside with only one slipped then wounded my right toe on the asphalted road. I then hit the ground with two others guests who also sat on the ground. Around me, I saw trees and the cottages move, my father's car was also shaking violently. The earthquake lasted around 34 seconds. The power, phone lines, and cable TV went out immediately. Reeling from the quake, I stood up to prepare the stuff in case of an emergency evacuation. From a far, I could see a group of people watching Tagbilaran Bay since the resort was located on a cliff overlooking the bay. Suddenly, the group of people were shouting and running away from the bay. It most likely meant a tsunami was coming, the same false alarm that brought Cebu City to a halt last February 2012. I was still looking for my other slipper when my dad shouted for my older brother to get in the vehicle quick. Out of instinct, I got in the car without my other pair of slipper. As my dad circled around the resort, I could see parts of the water of Tagbilaran Bay enter the lower portions of the resort (see map). I deduced it must have been the "tsunami" that the people feared. The first thing my dad did was to get us inland to higher ground, as at this time, we did not know what was the origin of the quake. We drove around Tagbilaran seeing scenes of chaos and destruction. Several houses, walls, telephone wires, and trees were destroyed. People were running everywhere or towards inland. I saw several ambulances, fire trucks, and police vehicles racing down the roads trying to maintain order and rescue those who were trapped. I saw one man running on the street with shampoo still on his hair; he had nothing on but a towel to cover his lower body. Suddenly, my dad took a stop in a bakery where several people were panic buying whatever bread they could get their hands on. Several 7-Eleven convenience stores and general merchandize stores were also lined up by panicked citizens. We got a pack of bread and some round bread before heading further inland. At this time, the radio already picked up the news of the quake, informing updates on the situation. My brother had the bigger iPad which had unlimited 3G but with the phone lines down, it was useless. The night before, I careless forgot to charge my iPad mini since I stayed up late watching Chernobyl Diaries. However, my mobile WiFi had full power so I decided to conserve it. My dad then headed into the open space across the Island City Mall, where a lot of people were gathering and buying food as well as emergency supplies. Everyone was also gathering whoever had a portable radio or a functioning connection to the outside world. I remember staying in a parked jeepney with other people anxiously waiting for the news. At this point, the epicenter was determined to be in Sagbayan while aftershocks would be felt for the next few weeks to come. I then bought a band-aid to cover the minor wound I got. My mother bought the remaining Dunkin Donuts munchkins left from a still-open stall before heading back to the hotel since most of our stuff were left behind due to a "tsunami" scare. We passed by the Island City Mall and Tagbilaran City all, both which suffered damages. We returned to the hotel to see an ambulance in the frontyard. We knew later that day two kitchen cooks of the hotel were killed when the kitchen roof collapsed on them as they were cooking breakfast for the guests. It was already around 1:00-2:00 pm and since we didn't get to eat a proper meal - not even breakfast since it began -- we returned outside to the city to look for a place still in operation. Driving around Tagbilaran was somehow eerie. Apart from the few cars in the road as well as police and soldiers patrolling the streets on foot for possible looters, the city was basically a standstill. 90% of the businesses and restaurants were closed. We happened to pass by a Jollibee fast food outlet with food still left on the tables and the counter. For what it appeared, people were having their breakfast just eight hours ago when the earthquake hit. They all then abandoned their food and never came back for it. After almost an hour of searching for a place that serve food, we found a simple eatery that still remained in operation. We bought lunch and dinner before heading back to the hotel.
Map for reference only: The cottages my family stayed (red arrow), the spot were people were observing the bay moments after the earthquake (blue diamond), restaurant and kitchen where two cooks were killed (pink triangle), hotel function building that parts of collapsed (yellow circle), water from Tagbilaran Bay that entered the lower portion of the resort (light blue lines), route my dad drove just as the waters entered the lower portion (orange line).
It was a beautiful afternoon that time -- blue skies and cloudless -- only if it the earthquake did not occur. The hotel staff basically abandoned ship, save for two employees that remained to continue serving the guests concerns. We still could see airplanes taking off from the nearby Tagbilaran airport, a good sign since we entirely weren't cut off from the outside world. Still, I was itching to watch TV or get in touch with FaceBook or Twitter since many would have already asked if I was alright. That night, we ate dinner outside the cottages. Other guests already left since the hotel had no basic necessities. I remember a Japanese tourist gave our family and other guests snacks so people won't be hungry. The power went back around 7:00 PM but cable TV and the water system was not yet repaired. So our only source of news was from radios and whoever had a smartphone that day. Our family and other guests used the other cottages of the ones that left to use whatever water remained in their washrooms. That night, I stayed up late anxiously listening to the news of the radio. It was also that time that the Internet connection came back, albeit weak. As I opened my FaceBook, I got tons of messages and timeline posts asking if I was alright. Photos and videos of the earthquake was already trending in all platforms. It took me time to reply to my friends and relatives that I was safe. I wanted to sleep outside that night since aftershocks kept on occurring. Instead, I slept on the same cottage but kept the door open in case my brother and I need to run out in a hurry.
Here are some photos I took from my iPad mini that day:
The next day, October 16, 2013, my family and I decided to leave Bohol as there was nothing left to explore since the roads were destroyed or blocked by rubble. My dad then took the Tagbilaran-Cebu boat trip, which is a grueling four hour voyage as compared to the two hour voyage if taking the Tubigon-Cebu voyage. The only food I hate on the boat was instant noodles and siopao, since that was the only food they served anyways. I didn't complain though, at least I had something to eat while others were still suffering. It was also there once we were nearing Cebu that I finally got see a real coverage of the news from the earthquake on TV. I saw all the damages, the collapsed belfry tower, and the casualties from the disaster. I could not have been more grateful for surviving that catastrophe and making it home safely to Cebu.
The aftershocks would continue on for the next five months to come, well into 2014. Three weeks after the earthquake, on November 8, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan (Local: Yolanda) would make landfall in the Philippines. Leyte, Samar, the northern part of Cebu, Aklan, and Palawan. Footage of the destroyed Tacloban City and other places were broadcasted on all major international news networks and social media. The Philippines was hit again with another disaster while still recovering from one. Sympathy and aid came from the international community within the aftermath. I could remember seeing news footage of helicopters dropping relief goods to a field in Leyte while others did donation drives. At that time, I really wanted to help out in the field but busy schedules did not permit me to go to Bantayan Island or Daanbantayan. What I did though was donating money every time I passed by a donation box. It was the least I could do but everything matters during times of emergency.
What really struck me with those two events was how strong the Filipino people stood. When I was in Bohol, everyone regardless of differences huddled together when listening to the news. Others helped out in bringing the wounded and the injured to the hospital. Places then began offering donation drives. My previous high school, B.R.I.G.H.T. Academy, set up a drive where I donated some medicine and water for the victims of the earthquake. #BangonPhilippines or #BangonPilipinas became the official tag for both events. After Yolanda came, the same spirit was showed. The Filipinos affected by the earthquake and the storm still managed to smile despite the worse thing that happened. This was even noted by CNN anchorman Anderson Cooper, who was beyond touched when the Filipinos showed the world how to carry on.
Six months after the earthquake, I would then revisit Bohol during the summer after freshman year. I was able to see the recovery transition after six months, it was slow but recovering nonetheless. I was able to visit what remained of Loon Church and the damaged churches in Baclayon and Dauis.
Standing in front of Loon Church, April 22, 2014.
Fast forward five years later and both experiences are still fresh in my mind. It is like as if it was only moments ago or yesterday that it happened. Looking back, I am amazed how Bohol and Leyte has rose from the rubble. This was not possible without the strength of the Filipino people and aid from the international community. Through tough times, the Filipino people stood and conquered the adversities that compound it almost everyday. It showed the world that we do not give up to adversity easily. For me, both the Bohol Earthquake and Typhoon Yolanda were defining moments of my freshmen year. It definitely sticks to my mind to this day, mainly the reason why I wrote this post on the first place. I will definitely still remember it throughout my lifetime.
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