The ground shook, didn’t it? Shook us right down to our bones. That earthquake… it was a harsh wake-up call for us here in Cebu.
So many families lost everything — homes are gone, hope fading with every aftershock. It makes you think, doesn’t it? Before all this, I couldn’t help but feel like we were losing something vital as a community.
Before this chaos, I used to think about this a lot — about our country and our people. We lacked communication with one another, we lacked service and we acted as if we were always prolific.
What I mean is that these days, people don’t respect each other as much. Donations rarely happen and sharing is no longer common.
I understand that people have their own careers and their own lives to focus on, but sometimes we must remember our purpose and principles as a community.
I strongly believe that God and Mother Nature saw the principles we have neglected, so they came up with some sort of plan.
I am convinced that the earthquake did not discriminate. It affected us all, regardless of social status or background. But amid the rubble and fear, something extraordinary emerged — unity.
In the immediate aftermath, social media became a lifeline — not just for news, but for offers of help. #CebuStrong trended as ordinary citizens used the hashtag to coordinate rescue efforts, share resources and offer shelter. Strangers opened their homes, sharing what little they had. Restaurants prepared meals for first responders and volunteers packed relief goods with tireless dedication.
Stories of heroism abounded. Construction workers used their skills to reinforce damaged buildings. Doctors and nurses worked around the clock to care for the injured. Even the smallest acts of kindness — a comforting word, a helping hand — resonated deeply. This shared vulnerability stripped away our differences. We were all Cebuanos, united in our determination to rebuild.
The exhaustion was real, the scenes heartbreaking, but the feeling of purpose was electrifying. To offer a comforting word to someone who had lost everything, to share a bottle of water with a weary first responder, to simply be a pair of hands in a chain of many — it was profoundly moving.
It wasn’t just helping — it was healing. Healing them, yes, but also healing a part of myself that had grown distant and insulated. The road to recovery will be long, but the spirit of bayanihan is alive and well in Cebu. The earthquake tested us, but it also revealed our strength. We are a resilient people, bound together by our shared history and our unwavering love for this island.
Let the memory of this unity guide us as we rebuild our homes and our lives — stronger than ever before. Maybe sometimes we should trust nature and God with their plans. The earthquake didn’t just happen for no reason — it was one of the few ways to bring us back together as Cebuanos.