BEFORE anything else, where were you when a magnitude 6.3 quake rocked parts of Luzon, on Thursday, August 10?
Well, I was in a parking lot, inside my car, getting lost in the beat of "Despacito," when an intensity IV was felt in Pampanga, Olongapo City, and Subic and Iba in Zambales, naturally sending aftershocks... on social networks.
Despite the fear over the tremors felt, some still managed to take the situation on a lighter mode.
On social media, netizens were usually feeling funny, taking advantage of the moment to make quake-related "hugot" posts. Yes! Hugot na naman!
As they say, there are three kinds of people: those who felt the #earthquake, those who didn't feel it and yung mga may hugot sa lindol.
Here are a few to sum all up:
1. Lumindol daw. Di mo naramdaman noh? Manhid ka kasi kaya kahit lindol hindi mo naramdaman.
2. Yung lindol parang ex ko… hindi ko na nga pinapansin, nagpaparamdam pa din.
3. Pag-ibig ko nga para sa ‘yo hindi mo nararamdaman, lindol pa kaya.
Popping up in similar frequency were hashtags carrying posts that were clearly against the hugots.
1. Brace yourself: Lindol hugots are coming again!
2. Lumindol na't lahat, nagawa pang humugot ng mga tao dito.
3. Pati ba naman lindol, pinilit na ikonekta sa pag-ibig. Hindi kayo maliligtas ng mga hugot niyo sa oras ng sakuna.
And there were few who were clearly not against any hugot: "Hoy (name of a public official) magbago ka na, pinaparusahan na ang Pilipinas."
Given all these, I was not surprised at all. We have all been known for our sense of humor, and perhaps much of it has added to the people’s resilience.
But on the other hand, let us be cautious for taking such quakes lightly. Because while some of our homes are not along any active fault, these may still be affected by earthquakes coming from other active faults around.
Let's not forget that safety is a concept of "shared responsibility." Disaster experts have – time and again – stressed out the significance of preparation. Doing so could save thousands of lives, properties, and livelihood. It is an individual responsibility as much as it is a national obligation.
Huwag puro hugot, para di mabaon.
Having said that, here's a challenge for everyone: while we find simply joys in laughing our stress out, let's take disaster preparedness seriously.
Stay Active until our next chat!
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