BOHOL, A YEAR AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE

On October 15, 2013, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the island province of Bohol and the nearby island of Cebu at 8 in the morning, sending people out of their homes in fear and panic. The epicenter of the quake was in the town of Sagbayan but almost half of the island lay shattered and devastated. The old churches, Bohol’s pride, were hugely damaged, some of them crumpled to the ground, as were the case of Loboc, Loon and Maribojoc.

Tubigon was one of the towns greatly hit by the earthquake
(Photo grabbed from infobohol.com)

Bohol has never seen this much destruction. The earthquake that struck in the eastern part of the island sometime in February 1990 did not brought this much calamity. The major road networks all over the island were also severely damaged. Bohol, being considered a major tourist destination in the Philippines, has just completed the concreting of most road networks around the island. Considered new, the quake toss them off. Mountains, bridges, buildings, houses and the lives of all Boholanos were never the same again.

Bohol's icon, the Chocolate Hills, looked like a kid was having tantrums here
(Photo grabbed from ABS-CBN)

But the Boholano spirit could never be put down. 

When the earthquake struck, already the social media was unusually abuzz with lots of activities. Boholanos from all over the world started updating friends, soliciting aid, assisting in the deployment of manpower and equipment to the area most affected, helping relatives find their loved ones. Today, social media is forming another platform among Boholanos as they find ways to boost tourism in the island.

Tourism, a major industry in the province slowed down a bit after the quake. But a few months after, the creative Boholanos took pride in what remained of the devastation. The ruins has become another tourist destination. Piece by piece, the coral stones that became the symbol of Boholano religiosity were gathered and cataloged, in the hope of making these historical stones a future showcase of ingenuity.

Loon's Catholic church crumpled to the ground killing a parishioner or two
(Photo grabbed from Cebu Daily News)

To date, majority of the tourism zones have recovered. Panglao Island, although shaken and stirred, remains a favorite escape for the sun-lovers of the world. Like a good martini. People now flock to its beaches and drink their blues away.

Some new adventure sites have also opened their gates to locals and other tourists visiting the island of Bohol. New restaurants and cafes have opened and the old ones are reinventing their menu for new gustatory adventures. Some even are branching out in nearby Cebu.

Photo grabbed from Rappler.com

And as we commemorate this painful event in our lives, we put aside our politics, our religion, differences, even our work, to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the quake. We give honor to those who dedicate their time, give financial support and extend efforts so we can recover. Boholanos are sending out our grateful hearts, forever indebted in their kindness, to all the generous donors all over the world.

And mostly to the Boholano pride that has kept us all as one big family, we salute you.

MABUHI KITANG TANAN MGA ‘SANO, MGA ‘SANA!

Updates on the earthquake, according to the government, can be accessed here.

What you can do

Infographics provided by Sun*Star online

Recovery efforts are still undergoing in Bohol. Some are still living under tents or temporary houses. Many students are still doing their classes in makeshift tents. The Batuan Light Bringers (BLB), a group of young people from Batuan, Bohol are still accepting donations, cash or in-kind, for the reconstruction of the houses of those affected in Batuan. Part of your donations are also given yearly to the poor elementary pupils especially in the villages of that town. BLB gives out school supplies during openings of school year and sponsor feeding programs for the malnourished children of Batuan. You can contact the author, or visit Batuan Light Bringers’ FB page and send them a message if you want to donate.

Agony in New Zealand

The recent earthquake that struck Christchurch, New Zealand did not only devastate that country but the Philippines as well. 

Many Filipinos, in the hope of finding greener pastures, are flocking to that country. In what could be a worst case of bad luck, some batch of nurses just arrived last Sunday (February 20) in Christchurch and was attending English language classes on Monday when the 6.3 tremor happened. 

There are no immediate news on what is happening to them. Until now.

Let us pray for the people of New Zealand and the Filipinos who are suffering there. Let us do what we can for all of them. May the Great God be upon them and us all.

UPDATE FROM NZHERALD.CO.NZ
This is a sad news. I hope the Filipinos still trap at CTV won't give up.

More bodies found at CTV

Rescuers have found several more bodies at the collapsed CTV building today.

A large team of Japanese searchers earlier entered the site with dogs and several bodies have now been carried out of the rubble in body bags.

Australian search and rescue personnel had been using specialist listening equipment at the site this morning but said they had not heard any signs of life.

Queensland USR Deputy taskforce leader Peter Dawson said that his team had spent the morning at the site after reports a text message had been sent from it.

"We have not been able pick up any confirmation of anybody... at the moment." he said.

Rescuers last night returned to the site to sift through the rubble despite police previously saying they were "100 per cent sure" there were no survivors after Tuesday's earthquake.

The site had been deemed too dangerous for rescuers, with fears more of the building could collapse and they pulled out to focus on the PGG Building around 1.30pm yesterday.

However, police issued a release early this morning saying work at the site had resumed and Civil Defence Minister John Carter later told media that Urban Search and Rescue crew had been able to return with equipment to secure the building.

Police stressed the work was a recovery operation as more survivors were not expected, but said the teams always remained hopeful.

More than 100 people were believed to be still in the building, which housed the regional television station, a nursing school and a language school, although Mr Carter said authorities did not have a figure for how many people could be inside.

Pictures grabbed from the following sources:

heraldsun.com.au; thakurproxy.appspot.com; minivannews.com

Australia is deluged (and some Philippine provinces, too)

I heard my blogger friend in Queensland, Australia, The Beancounter, is bracing for more flooding in their area. They were told to get ready for evacuations.

Anywhere in the world, calamities and disasters happened, be it natural or man-made. The difference there is the people's and the government's readiness to handle such happenings. Although I believe Australia is a first world country but still they suffer. But not as big suffering as compared to us living in the third world. Still.

I hope everyone is safe and in higher grounds today.

More in the news:

• Brisbane braces for more flooding as 90 people missing reported missing 
• From drought to flood, Queensland's woes go on 
• Photos: Australian flooding 

Meanwhile in Albay province in the Philippines (and possibly in some other provinces of the country), similar scenario is slowly dissipating inch by inch almost canceling a dream to come true.

• 'For better or for worse,' come hell or high water 
• Floods bring more misery 

All pics grabbed from various sources in the internet.

Indonesia suffers too!

That eternally harassing, tantalizing future. Mystery! We will all eventually arrive there - willing or unwilling, with all our soul and body. And too often it proves to be a great despot. And so, in the end, I arrived too. Whether the future is a kind or a cruel god is, of course, its own affair. Humanity too often claps with just one hand. ~Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Indonesian writer

Two natural disasters, no, make that 3 disasters hit Indonesia this week. An earthquake of 7.7 magnitude triggered a tsunami that killed at least a hundred and hundreds more missing. Mount Merapi, the most volatile volcano in that part of the country has started to erupt displacing villages. The natural calamities struck Indonesia in just within 24 hours.

What if it happened to us? (Knock on wood!) Will we be able to recover? 

Let us also pray for them.

Earthquakes and Corruption

Recent events around the world made me wonder- Are we next?- since it seems that the earthquake is getting nearer and stronger. A force to reckon with.

I don't want us to become one of them. Of course.

I hate to compare between two recent calamities like the Chile and Haiti earthquakes. Haiti seems to be the most affected when their earthquake version was weaker as compared to Chile's 8.8. Haiti's government was nowhere seen during those first critical moments, when people need assurance and morale boosts.

In Chile, their past president and president-elect automatically went live on different media a few minutes after the tremor, urging people to stay calm. Their government told the world that they are ready for calamities like this earthquake since they have not forgotten what they experienced from previous calamities. Several heavy equipment and rescue groups were actually already doing their job as the presidents went live. That's what people need- assurance.

Why I am afraid when such calamity would strike us? (Knocks on wood with matching pwe pwe pwe!)

One word- corruption.

Corruption, as confirmed by studies during the Haiti incident, was the main curse among Haitians. Because of corruption, buildings and major infrastructure support were wasted, burying people down with them.  Links: Industry, Shoddy Construction Likely Contributed to Haiti Quake Destruction; Why Haiti's quake toll higher than Chile's

Now I am very afraid of the Philippines.

Pic from CNN- AFP/Getty Images

Nature Strikes Back

“Nature often holds up a mirror so we can see more clearly the ongoing processes of growth, renewal, and transformation in our lives.”

Photos from Facebook: Jade Tamboon, Blacksuperchad Maglonzo, Julz Ilano, Wenzzo Pancho, Ryan Ramirez, Savann Oeurm, Atom Araullo, Rafa Dinglasan, Kathy Zablan and other unknown sources.