RESIDENTS, government officials and employees dressed in white attend a Holy Mass at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Saint Vincent Ferrer in Bogo City, Cebu, on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, marking the first anniversary of the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu at 9:59 p.m. on Sept. 30, 2025.
A year later, the memories of that night remain deeply rooted in the lives of those who lost loved ones.
Junrey Agbones visits the tomb of his daughter, Mia Lepiten Agbones, one of the victims of the earthquake. Junrey said he misses the simple moments they shared, especially taking Mia to school and picking her up afterward, as well as making videos together for social media. He continues to visit her grave, where he allows himself to grieve and cry.
He also keeps Mia’s memory alive by visiting places they once went together, including the beach, and by watching her old videos. For Junrey, the pain of losing his daughter remains, but the memories they shared continue to make him feel that Mia is still with him.
At another grave, Jeffrey Crisostomo Baquilta visits his wife, Jane Lita Baquilta, and their two daughters, Jane Freca and Jenny Mae, who were also among the earthquake victims. A year later, Jeffrey continues to visit their graves, holding on to the memories of the family he lost and the love they shared.
The earthquake’s physical scars also remain visible. At Tabogon Port in Barangay Tapul, Tabogon, Cebu, seawater rises around the damaged platform during high tide, a year after the quake affected the area.
At Corazon Cemetery in Bogo City, human bone remains remain scattered and exposed after the earthquake destroyed part of the cemetery’s bone chambers.
One year after the ground shook, Cebu continues to carry both visible and invisible scars. For those who lost loved ones, the anniversary is not only a remembrance of the earthquake, but also a reminder that grief, like memory, remains long after the shaking stops.