A call has gone out for donations for the relief efforts for survivors of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck in Central Visayas earlier this month, affecting more than 3 million people. The refrain, “Tabang Visayas” (Help Visayas), is being used by Jesuit work Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan (SLB) and Ateneo de Cebu as they work together to respond to cries for assistance from the affected communities in Bohol. Donations will be used to provide for the immediate needs of the least and unreachable communities in the province of Bohol.
The earthquake struck at a little after 8 am on October 15, devastating wide areas in the Central Visayas specifically Tagbilaran City, Bohol and Cebu City, with its epicentre at Sagbayan, Bohol. As of October 24, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has recorded 2,654 aftershocks, 68 of which were felt.
Fr Arnel Aquino SJ was on retreat in Cebu when the eathquake struck. In a reflection posted on the Jesuit Philippine Province website, he wrote, “My brother Jesuits and I first thought that a huge truck in a huge hurry was barreling down the street outside. But when the whole building continued lurching up and down then sideways for far too long, I knew it was going to be serious. God’s earthquake sent pieces of stained glass crashing down from the church windows. It dislocated water pipes from the tanks, unscrewed grills off of windows, and tore serious cracks on many walls. I have been through scary earthquakes in the 47 years of my life, but this one won the terror quotient. For nights thereafter, I could not sleep soundly. Each stressful aftershock woke me up. It felt like my heart wanted to punch a hole through my chest so it could run to the nearest open space, with or without me! Lord, have mercy!”
According to the latest National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council report dated October 24, 631,605 families (3,158,009 people) were affected in 1,494 barangays in 59 municipalities and 6 cities in 6 provinces of Regions VI and VII. Out of the affected, 66,041 families (336,934 people) were displaced.
The province of Bohol and Cebu were declared under the State of Calamity with close to 1.5 billion pesos worth of damaged roads, bridges, flood control, school buildings, hospitals, and other public buildings. In Bohol, Cebu, Neg. Occidental, Neg. Oriental, Iloilo, Siquijor, and Guimaras, 12,655 houses were totally destroyed while 41,991 houses were partially damaged.
Fr Pedro Walpole SJ, Coordinator for Reconciliation with Creation, Jesuit Conference Asia Pacific, was in Cebu shortly after the earthquake struck. “We are fortunate that the earthquake did not happen at a time when people were in school or church because institutional buildings were badly affected. So the loss of life is limited, but it could have been much much worse,” said Fr Walpole who was in Cebu exploring better low cost housing options.
“The need for compassion, humility and service in the face of such devastation brings us together, but now we need to do everything in our social and scientific power to advance preparedness. We must stop looking at earthquakes as unknown and freak events and recognize they are part of the land and sea where we live. In the last 10 years alone, there have been more than 130 earthquakes in Asia of a similar magnitude or greater loss of lives. These calamities are frequent and though we don’t know the time and place, we can prepare in many more ways than we currently do. We are challenged to have much stricter codes for where we build and how we build. We have to improve human safety beyond providing relief after a disaster; local governments and communities need to do more in the area of disaster risk reduction.”
For more information and details of how to donate, click here.