Expectant for a new day was the feeling I got after some minutes of talk with my youngest brother on the phone. I asked him if he could tell my older sister, together with her husband that I wanted to call them and would have a chit-chat the next day. Never knowing that this day would come,15th October 2013 to be a tragic day for Bohol. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Bohol and Cebu as reported. It was the thing I heard early in the morning, receiving text messages from friends and seeing pictures of the massive earthquake aftermath through Facebook.
The first thing I had to do was to call my family back home and check whether they were fine. Indeed they were, but at that very moment they were still scared at the tremors they were feeling. They were shocked, frightened at what might come next, added with worry about the dark evenings when electric power supply was out. It was terrible not only for my family and friends but for the whole province of Bohol, my beloved home place. Tears streamed from my eyes. I was in pain watching the photos and news about my province which has been for a long time a place of good visits and tours of local and foreign tourists. Its multiple century-old churches, historical sites and the world-famed, awe-inspiring Chocolate Hills broke, divided, collapsed. Houses of different designs and materials scaling from the biggest to the smallest; roads and bridges, infrastructures, malls, hospitals and a lot more were shaken and struck hard to the ground. Everything seemed to yield to the destructive power of the quake that day. Everything was left useless, became rubble or worst for some, turned into ashes. Everyone there especially in the gravely affected areas thought that it was the end of the world. It was incredibly a great devastation that Bohol, together with its neighbor province Cebu, was declared under state of calamity.
It broke my heart to hear it. I never had experienced before that my beloved province would be under state of calamity. No! It was just very hard to accept. 'No, it could not be.' was my inner cry. I had thought for a long time up to that moment that Bohol is such a beautiful, peaceful, richly-endowed place to be in where friendly, hardworking, humble and kind people live. It was just too much to take. From time to time, from one news to the other, from one status post about aftershocks on Facebook to the other, every bit of information about the quake was like a heavy drop of a rough stone, a deep cutting shoot of a fiery arrow. Tears came out, overflowing, incontrollable. Since the time I was born, I never had cried for any particular place. Yes, I experienced crying for certain people, for children in some poor, war-bombarded countries; yet, not as hard and painful as the cry I cried for Bohol, my ever-loved home province. I realized then on that when it's your place that is devastated, as a native, you'd feel intense pain that you can't share with outsiders, with strangers and foreigners. Right through, I felt a deep love and concern for my province that I wanted to let the whole world know that we were in pain, deeply cut. It was like an inner voice would like to say to the world out loud that 'Hey, please stop. Can you hear us? We are grieving and are destitute. Please have time to stop and listen to us.' But it seemed like the world did not care. It seemed like we were alone and had to get up from the fall alone. I remembered Japan, I remembered some provinces in the Philippines that experienced floods, strong typhoons and landslides. They might have felt the same pain I felt while grieving for my province. It was then also that I remembered what Proverbs 14:10 says: 'Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.'
I knew I could not just sit and cry. I needed to pick myself up from being down on a dusty, rubble-filled ground. But what could I do for Bohol? What could be the better way to alleviate the situation of my suffering fellows? These were the questions that ran through my head during that week.
I know for sure that many have asked themselves the same questions in the course. Though the quake is tragic for Bohol and its folks, love has been reawakened and manifested. The Boholanos themselves have helped one another. People from different places, the government, the NGO's, the churches, some countries, some institutions, some companies, private groups and many individuals have come together for one purpose- to help. In fact, a group named Oplan Bangon Bohol emerged immediately after the quake in assistance and support to the victims. The Bayanihan spirit of the Filipinos whether home or abroad has been knocked upon. Great assistance has been realized from these different sectors of the society. Though the quake has its negative awful effects on the province; somehow, it has great positive effects to the people and of course to the government too, may not be materially, but mentally, morally and spiritually. There's still a lot of work to do for the restoration of Bohol. There's still some sacrifices to make to come back to life the weak and staggering Bohol. The people that constitute the province have the power to do so as they have strong faith in the Lord and a resilient heart that bravely faces troubles. They are hopeful that things will turn out right for them, that Bohol shall stand renewed, revived to an even better and more beautiful home for the Boholanos and host for the tourists.
From what happened, I have learned to see the value of things, people and relationships. I have learned to sift things and take what's more important. I have realized how it is to be human and being humane to others. I have realized that both the poor and the rich share the same condition under a stubborn, impartial calamity. Moreover, I've also realized that when fear strikes, it's the Lord who's the Strong Defense and Refuge. Much better have I realized that God so much loves Bohol as the quake happened during a national holiday so that there were no classes and most students were home safe; that it was at daytime and malls were still closed and people were awake or half-awake already so that they were aware and could see what was happening around them; that it happened not on Sunday so that all the church-goers were spared from structure collision and destruction; that it happened on a sunny day; otherwise, there could have been many landslides. Another is, I have proven true that the world and its things will pass away but the Word of God stands true forever. Calamities like earthquake are written in the Bible but we normally don't care of them until they hit us.
I am very certain that there's plenty of stories to tell from the side of the victims, from the common people, from everyone who experienced the strong quake. But for sure, no matter how plenty and much they've lost, the important thing which they can be thankful for is that they are alive. Though difficult it is to accept that some families have lost some of their members, just like the family members of my good friend and former colleague of my previous work, deep down they are being comforted, hopeful that tomorrow or someday, they will be reunited with their loved ones who have parted away from them in just a blink. For now, restoration of Bohol is still a top priority. Many are working together for its come-back. The government and the Boholanos are going to step forward and lend a hand on this so that the rising Bohol shall come alive as one better and more stabilized province of the Pearl of the Orient, the Philippines.
The week when the earthquake struck, I sang in mind the Bohol hymn, remembering its natural beauty and blessedness. I just want to share it here. I used to sing it in my elementary and secondary years at school. I so love Bohol that seeing it in ruins is like watching myself lose my identity. The lyrics were taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbols_of_Bohol#Bohol_flag. I'd like to quote this also, 'According to Bohol.ph: "The Boholanos are a freedom loving and independent people, who take pride in their Island, wherever they are. No wonder, the province even has its own provincial anthem".
Awit sa Bohol
(Lyrics in Boholano)
Yuta kong minahal
Hatag ni Bathala
Sa adlaw'g gabii
Taknang tanan
Dinasig sa kinaiyahan
Sa mga bayani yutawhan
Imong kalinaw giampingan
Lungsod sa bungtod nga matunhay
Ug matam-is nga kinampay
Puti ang kabaybayonan
Walog sa suba binisbisan
Bahandi ang dagat ug kapatagan
Gugma ang tuburan
Sa kagawasan, sa tanan
 |
| Baclayon Church built in 1596 |
Panalanginan ka
Ihalad ko lawas ug kalag
Sa mutya kong Bohol
Bohol Hymn(English version)
This is our land I love,
The land God gave to me,
Caressed by the sun,
Bathed by the sea,
And kissed by the cool breeze
Night and day.
Here’s where the early heroes lived,
Here’s where they wrought peace and here they bled,
 |
| Baclayon church in ruins |
Here rise the marvelous cone-shaped hills,
Here’s sweet kinampay grows.
Blessed with white sandy beaches,
Rivers that water valleys,
Seas team with fishes and cows graze
on the plains,
In ev’ry home love reigns,
God keep my homeland always free,
Let her forever be,
I pledge my strength, my heart and soul,
To my dear home, Bohol
Sa tanang Bol-anon, dili ta magpakawala sa paglaum. Ipadayon nato ang atong pagsalig sa Ginoo ug nga kita magtinabangay sa atong
pagbangon ug pagbarog para sa kaayohan sa tanan ug sa atong probinsiya.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbols_of_Bohol#Bohol_flag
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