A FAMILY of 19 members remains cramped inside a small makeshift tent on an open field in Barangay Tambongon, San Remigio, days after the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu on September 30, 2025.
Among them is Perla Perigo, a senior citizen, who recalled the terrifying night when the quake hit.
Perigo said chaos erupted as the ground shook, leaving her separated from her children and grandchildren as she shouted their names in fear.
“I don’t care what will happen to me because I am already old. All I can think about is the future of my children and grandchildren,” Perigo said in Cebuano while crying.
Since the earthquake, Perigo said she continues to live in fear of aftershocks and struggles to sleep at night due to trauma.
She said she often sits up while trying to rest, while her family curls up close together to fit inside the small tent.
Perigo added that she has been suffering from fevers and toothaches but still tries to collect relief goods along the streets, together with her grandchildren.
However, due to the crowd also waiting for donations, she said they sometimes end up with just a bottle of water, missing out on rice and other essentials.
She expressed hope that their local government would reach out to them, saying they have yet to receive direct aid.
Perigo, though, remains thankful for the help that came from private donors.
Perigo is one of the residents of the National Housing Authority site in Purok Sikwa who have chosen to stay in open fields out of fear of returning home while strong aftershocks continue.
Several families in the area have also built temporary shelters out of tarpaulins and salvaged materials to protect themselves from the heat and rain. (Bryce Ken Abellon, USJ-R intern)