Heartbreaking. Mind-boggling.
These were how residents of quake-hit villages of Negros Oriental described the aftermath of Monday’s earthquake which turned the city practically into a big pile of debris of ruined houses and buildings, isolated from its neighboring towns.
Shock and grief still hover over Guihulngan as aftershocks continued. Residents could not comprehend what hit them.
“We have never seen anything even close to this,” said Councilor Jessica Villarmente, 47. “The closest to this I’ve heard of was the World War II stories of our parents but never of a natural calamity of this magnitude.”
Amparo Lourdes Rivera, a court employee, remains shaken days after the earthquake.
She was inside the Regional Trial Court building when the ground moved. “It started with a soft shaking. After a few seconds, the tables were already moving and so we went to the center of the office,” she recounted.
When the swaying intensified, she and her officemates decided to go out. By the time they did, they had to crawl because the concrete walls started to cave in. The building is one of the structures that partially collapsed in the aftermath.
Nearly trapped
Clerk of Court Leah Maraon-Domen was almost trapped. It took her five minutes to leave after cabinets and tables started to fall and walls crumbled, barring the doorways.
“I thought it was the end of me,” Domen said. She and her family left the city and stayed in nearby San Carlos City.
Located in the central part of Negros island along the Tañon Strait, Guihulngan is not known to be hit by strong typhoons or earthquakes.
In the past two years, strong torrential rains had caused floods in the city proper, but these had not led to the evacuation of residents.
A laid-back city with a population of about 100,000 spread in 33 barangays, Guihulngan boasts of natural resources and beautiful spots. It has several kilometers of fine brown sand beaches and diving sites.
At its backdrop is the 3,245-foot Razorback Mountain, one of the highest peaks of Negros. While it is not too high by mountaineering standards, it is a favorite of local mountaineers because of the beautiful view from the top.
Just right below the mountain range is the Mystical Hills of Hinakpan, a group of small hills similar to Bohol’s Chocolate Hills.
7-layered waterfalls
Another favorite spot is the Kinayan Falls, a seven-layered waterfalls in Barangay Bulado, about 10 km away from the city proper. Beside it is the Kinayan Cave, home to indigenous bats and the province’s only underground river.
But more than the beautiful spots, residents take pride in its small-town atmosphere where everybody knows everybody.
“When I was five years old, I got lost in the market. I cried looking for my mother. Then a guy approached me and asked what my family name was.
He then took me to a store and there I saw my mother,” Precy De Lara Lee recalled.
Fishing and agriculture are the main sources of income, aside from remittances of relatives working abroad.
“Most people here are not rich in terms of money, but they are rich in kindness,” Crizzy Vergara Yap said.
Neighbors still give cooked food to neighbors and, in return, can ask for kalamunggay (moringa leaves).
Crestine Bulandres, a resident of Poblacion who is now based in Singapore, described Guihulnganons as friendly in nature. “I grew up in the market because my mother used to sell goods there and I remember how people were so caring and friendly with each other.”
Online concern
Facebook groups got flooded with inquiries, cries for help and updates shortly after some residents posted on their statuses about the massive earthquake that shook the city.
One resident, whose mother was pinned down when their house collapsed, posted a distress call.
“Mamalihug ko sa tanang taga Guihulngan na naka basa … Please help my mom! Till now she remained unrescued in our house. Naay backhoe dayun walay operator. Please I’m begging everyone!!! Help!!!” read the appeal of Athena Manzano Tan, whose mom Betty Manzano was pinned down along with their househelp.
Tan, who is Manila-based, said she was getting text messages from her mom.
Immediately, others called relatives based in Guihulngan to seek assistance for Manzano.
But due to continued tremors, rescuers could hardly move debris from the Manzano residence. Manzano, along with a household help, died hours later.
Christopher Sabado, who lost contact with his parents, sought help for his ailing mother: “Please if naa mga taga malusay duol sa may kambunay, naa ako pamilya didto palehug ko ug tabang, they need medicine kay ako mama ge high blood, palehug ko ug adto intawon, dili na namo ma contact, wala nami kabalo ug naunsa sila. Kung naa man gani mga kauban ni papa dolpo diha sa hospital naka basa ani, please ko help nila, naa sila sa kambunay, taas daw blood pressure ni mama unie, palihug ug tabang.” (… if there’s anyone from Malusay near Kambunay, please help my family there, they need medicine for my Mama who suffers from high blood, please find them, we can no longer contact them, we don’t know what has happened to them. If there are colleagues of Papa Dolpo from the hospital who can read this, please help them in Kambunay, Mama Unie’s blood pressure shot up, please help them.)
Prayers
Some mobilized prayer brigades through Facebook.
Sid Valencia, an OFW based in Saudi Arabia whose wife and young children are in Guihulngan, posted a prayer on the city’s Facebook group and urged people to continue praying.
Others responded by posting prayers. Still, others become more distressed on hearing news from their relatives.
Joseriz Lim posted on Thursday: “At 3 a.m. and 5:35 this morning … nag shake nasad sa atoa … pls pray. (At 3 a.m. and 5:35 this morning, it was shaking again. Please pray.)
When it became evident that Guihulngan took the brunt of the earthquake, along with La Libertad and Jimalalud towns, residents outside of the province started to mobilize help to send to their families.
Fund-raising
Prim Rose Therese Sarmiento, a student of St. Paul University in Dumaguete City who hails from Barangay Hilaitan, sought the help of the school administration and mobilized her schoolmates to bring relief goods to the town.
US-based Guihulnganons also mobilized other townmates overseas to send money to local organizations as food supply and water continued to deplete.
“Now is the time to make a difference to our fellow Negrenses. Our local government can only do so much and are so overwhelmed. Please do what you can, any amount will do, a gallon of water will help or pain medicine to minimize the pain will do,” Ruben William Carballo said in a Facebook post.
(The author is a former Inquirer reporter. A native of Bateria, Guihulngan, she is now a consultant of an international organization.)