WHAT was supposed to be a night of fun turned into tragedy for three members of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) who were among the 74 fatalities of the September 30 earthquake in Cebu.
The day was about to close and the new month was about to begin—filled with hope for the three Coast Guard men.
They were playing in a basketball league outside their regular training at the PCG Training Center in Masbate. Basketball was their shared passion. They took every chance to play whenever they got several days or hours off from their service.
At around 10 p.m., while in the middle of their game at the San Remigio Sports Complex, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck—one of the strongest to hit the province in years. Panic ensued as players, officials, and spectators scrambled to safety.
Not all of them made it.
Among those who didn’t make it were Seaman Second Class Lawrence Palomo of the Maritime Safety Services, and Apprentice Seamen Jujay Mahusay and Ert Cart Dacunes.
They had ensured the safety of the players, officials, and the crowd before they tried to make their way out of the complex.
They were not as fortunate as those they saved.
A fireman, who was among the players, also died. Witnesses said he also did his part saving the others first before he was hit by debris and got trapped by concrete.
A fifth casualty was a child who was found under rubble in a different location.
There were 559 injuries.
A total of 666,439 people were affected by the quake which also caused damage to 71,996 houses and 706 infrastructures.
A stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Davao Oriental at 9:43 am on October 10. Another magnitude 6.8 earthquake also struck nearby hours later.
At least six fatalities have been recorded in the Davao quake.
tt’s difficult to fathom the reset these tremors have brought to the lives of our people.
The impact goes far beyond the physical damage — the economy, from households to corporate offices, will inevitably feel the strain as communities rush to rebuild and restore normalcy. Yet the wounds left by these twin tragedies will take far longer to heal.
Children won’t be playing anytime soon amid the trauma that they have experienced. While families stay outside their homes for safety, many of them sleep in plastic blankets under trees and open skies, other activities will be the farthest from their minds.
It is with hope that we recover from this very soon.
But for now, we grieve.
Our salute to those who sacrificed their lives so the others will live.
