Yesterday, October 15th, 2013, a magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter scale with an epicenter located in the Municipality of Carmen, Province of Bohol just beside the world-renowned Chocolate Hills was recorded. An earthquake which is far more powerful than one in Haiti in 2010. October the 15th will be a date forever marked in Philippine history as a day of grief and sorrow not only for the People of Visayas but for the Filipino people as a whole. The devastation-both human and cultural- is beyond comprehensible at the moment. Many lives were unfortunately lost by a mere blink of an eye. Church buildings constructed centuries before this and the living past generations were shattered by a humongous quake that left 74 people-as of the present- confirmed dead with numerous number of injuries and missing. At this most critical hour, my thoughts go to the people of Visayas- to our countrymen in Cebu, Bohol and as far as Dumagate, Leyte, Cotabato and Davao- we continue to share their sufferings and pray for their well-being. Today, we have witnessed once again the destructive capacity of Mother Nature. We are reminded of our unending pursuit for a safer abode for our people through scientific innovation and disaster mitigation. Indeed, yesterdays disaster is not coming to a close. No, my countrymen, instead, we are at this present moment facing a national disaster in a scale which affects our way of life- our way of thinking. However, while today, we suffer, we mourn, we grief. Tomorrow, with Faith in the Divine Providence, the People of Visayas will rise again. As we usher a new era of Reconstruction united, let us remember these words once written by the renowned writer Kahlil Gibran: “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” And like on the Feast Day of our Señor Santo Niño de Cebu, the Conqueror of the Philippine Islands, we continue to shout in praise and adoration even at this great hour of suffering: VIVA PIT SEÑOR! May Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu, Patroness of Cebu, pray for us. MABUHAY ANG MGA BISAYA! MABUHAY ANG PILIPINAS!
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 18:10:50 +0000
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