INABANGA, Bohol—A 73-year-old resident of the mountain barangay of Anonang has learned to ignore the aftershocks. “Naanad na ko (I’m used to it),” Felix Jeneza told Sun.Star Cebu, while he rested on a hammock.

It has been a week since the 7.2 magnitude earthquake shook the province, displaced families, destroyed houses, bridges, roads and centuries-old churches, and left nearly 200 dead.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), Bohol is a seismically-active area.

Latest discovery

“Instrumental monitoring of earthquakes for the past century has detected many small to moderate magnitude earthquakes in Bohol Island. There is at least one known earthquake generator on the island, the East Bohol Fault,” the report read online.

The report further states that “there are other local faults, which can be sources of small to large magnitude earthquakes. Earthquakes can also occur offshore or undersea because of local offshore faults near the island or trenches in the vicinity of the region.”

Jeneza said the new fault line discovered by a Phivolcs team bothers him.

The earthquake caused a three-kilometer long crack that traverses several farms, said Anonang Barangay Captain Felix Caray.

The earth rose about 10 feet, cutting off the road leading to Sagbayan town, which was also affected by the quake.

The sight sends chills down Jeneza’s spine.

“Ang kahadlokan nako kon modahili ang yuta mopadung gyud sa among balay (If there’s a landslide it will surely hit my house),” he said.

The Aparecio family abandoned their house, which is only two feet from the fault.

Sinking land

A team from Phivolcs that inspected the site last Monday told Caray that the long crack in the barangay is a reverse fault because the surface broke vertically.

Caray said the team told him that the aftershocks that followed caused the land to sink.

He said the quake destroyed the Sto. Niño chapel and swallowed a cow and carabao.

He said Inabanga Mayor Josephine Socorro Jumamoy told him to evacuate the residents.

But they opted to stay and put up tents far from the fault line.

“Asa man ni sila ibutang nga ang tibuok Bohol linog man ug ilang panginabuhi naa man diri (Their livelihood is here and the quake affects the whole province so where will they go)?” Caray said.

He said the quake and its aftershocks affected 138 households and killed eight persons in the town.

Municipal Disaster and Risk Reduction Council Chief Rodulfo Socorin said 10,705 families in 50 barangays were displaced.

Outside help

Socorin said government buildings and other infrastructure suffered minor damage.

He said power and water were restored in some barangays last Thursday.  

National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 Deputy Director for Regional Operations Virgilio Mendez tapped Oro-Hi-Q Corp. from Cagayan de Oro City to send water purifying equipment to Bohol.

Ronald Balingkit of NBI Cagayan de Oro City said they’ve been going around quake-hit towns like Sagbayan and Clarin since last Saturday. He said Mendez is a native of San Miguel, Bohol.

Patients of R. Dagohoy Municipal Hospital were housed in tents outside the building.

Caray said his barangay received relief efforts thrice last week. He said his barangay is eight kilometers from the town proper.

Jeneza’s wife Celerina, 70, said they haven’t visited their farm since the quake struck. She said she’s afraid their crops have died. “Nangamuyo ko sa Sto. Niño nga mahuman na ni (I’m beseeching the Sto. Niño to end our ordeal),” she said.