A JAGGED scar now cuts across Sitio Looc, Barangay Nailon in Bogo City — fresh, raw, and unhealed. When the magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Cebu on Sept. 30, 2025, it did more than rattle walls and topple houses. It split the earth and the lives built upon it, leaving a mark that runs through both soil and memory.
That scar, now mapped by scientists as the Bogo Bay Fault, has become a permanent boundary between safety and loss, a line that reminds the residents how quickly life changed that night.
A month has passed since the quake, but for families who live beside that rupture, the ground hasn’t stopped moving, and neither have their fears.
Night of chaos
Children were crying; people shouted the names of their loved ones. Neighbors fled toward the hills. Motorcycles toppled over as the road cracked open. Then, as if nature hadn’t done enough, rain poured — heavy, unrelenting — turning panic into despair.
“Kaingon ko, paita sa mga taw no, naglakaw nga murag way kapaingnan. Murag naa sa salida,” said Glenda Lipasana, a resident of Sitio Looc. (I told myself, it was so sad, the people were walking without direction. It looked like a scene from a movie.)
Lipasana’s house sits directly above the fault line. The rupture that splits her yard now serves as a grim reminder of what lies beneath. She is among 44 residents whose homes were declared unsafe to occupy.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), during its Oct. 15 exit conference with the Bogo City Government, established a five-meter no-build zone along the fault, rendering these houses permanently uninhabitable.
Life on the edge
Bogo City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Rex Leoben Ygot said Phivolcs found the fault system running through Barangays Libertad, Nailon, and Dakit.
Mayor Maria Cielo “Mayel” Martinez and barangay officials are still identifying a relocation site for affected families.
But with no site finalized, Lipasana and dozens of others remain in makeshift tents of tarpaulin, just a few paces from the fissure that tore apart their homes.
The earth continues to move — more than 14,000 aftershocks have been recorded in the past month — mirroring the unease that lingers among residents still living at the fault’s edge.
“Where will we go?”
Like Lipasana, Beatrice Fernan, 69, also hopes to be relocated soon. Her home’s roof now nearly touches the ground.
“They told us to move, but where in the world will we get the money? It is truly difficult; a house cannot be built quickly,” said Fernan in Cebuano.
Martinez said the City continues to look for relocation options within affected barangays while adhering to Phivolcs’ recommendations.
“The hard part about this is people are creatures of habit, so they might return. We are really hoping we can educate them about this kind of situation,” Martinez said.
Across Cebu, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported 7,400 houses destroyed and 151,979 damaged across 15 towns and cities.
In Bogo City alone, 163 families are currently staying in the tent city, while others have built small clusters of temporary shelters in their communities.
To improve living conditions, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) began distributing modular shelters — 18-square-meter prefabricated units for up to five people. Bogo City has requested 143 units, pending completion of documentary requirements.
Livelihoods on hold
Beyond the loss of homes, the earthquake also fractured livelihoods across northern Cebu.
Lipasana’s husband, Jason, a fisherman, was among more than 3,500 fisherfolk whose work was halted when their boats and gear were damaged by falling debris.
In San Remigio, 76-year-old Romulo Tagalog has not gone back to sea since that night. He was fishing when the quake struck.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources 7 estimated P46 million in fisheries damage and plans to distribute 500,000 fingerlings as assistance to affected fisherfolk.
Meanwhile, the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office recorded P17 million in agricultural losses, affecting 470,000 farm animals across eight northern municipalities.
“For now, we are focusing on their immediate needs,” Martinez said. “We want them to be safe first — that’s the priority — before we talk about livelihood recovery.”
Shaken foundations
The magnitude 6.9 quake also disrupted access to education, healthcare, and transport.
“I admit, no (assistance yet). We are really focusing on their immediate needs for the meantime, we wanted them to be safe, we wanted to give them what their basic needs are,” said Martinez.
Martinez said she has yet to meet with the fisherfolk, but she is hoping to meet with them before the end of the month to discuss what assistance the city could extend to them.
Fear still lingers among some residents, but just like how the ground continues to move, they know that they must move forward, too.
The NDRRMC reported 955 damaged infrastructure amounting to P 73.3 million.
Education: 4,600 classrooms were damaged, 755 destroyed, and 1,252 sustained major damage — totaling about P4 billion in losses.
According to DepEd 7 Director Salustiano Jimenez, rehabilitation is underway but hampered by bad weather and continuing aftershocks.
Schools with major damage will use their P1 million quick response fund for repairs; those with minor damage will be supported by the regional office. Many schools have temporarily shifted to modular or online learning.
Healthcare: The Cebu Provincial Hospital – Bogo City resumed emergency and surgical services on Oct. 20 after completing repairs.
Ports: Seven ports in northern Cebu were affected, including Hagnaya, Polambato, and Kawit ports. Operations resumed between Oct. 1 and Oct. 17, while the Cebu Port Authority estimated P623 million worth of rehabilitation.
Roads and bridges: Eleven roads and 25 bridges were damaged, but most in Bogo City — including Sitio Looc’s — were repaired within three weeks.
The long aftershock
A month since the ground split, Bogo’s people continue to live with the quake’s memory — and its lessons.
Mayor Martinez said rebuilding will take more than concrete and steel.
“As a leader, yes, buildings are important, but for me, the priority is really the people,” she said. “Even as we build, the lives of the people cannot be rebuilt quickly.”
“How do we help people rebuild their lives? Not just the city itself,” she added.
And as the aftershocks fade, survivors like Glenda Lipasana are learning what recovery truly means.
The earth has healed a little — but its people are still finding solid ground beneath their feet. / with reports from DPC, CDF, EHP