I wanted to write about what happened yesterday but the aftershocks kept going last night that's why I couldn't write just yet.
Anyway, my husband and I were at our children's school to pick-up Nyx and drop-off Draco. After I walked Draco to his classroom, Papoy, Nyx and I left for SM. A few seconds after we got out of the school, I noticed people looking up an unfinished building. I pointed them out to my husband and just then construction workers started running out of the building. Papoy said the electrical transformer might have blown-up. I told him that the cables and wires were all shaking but there was no fire. Then he said there might be an earthquake because people were coming out of their houses and buildings to the streets. (We couldn't feel the quake because we were in the car.)
Papoy wanted to go back for Draco but I said it might not be much. But all the way to SM, people were still pouring out onto the streets.
When we got in the mall, I was able to go online and read that the earthquake was 6.8 strong and included Negros island. I immediately called my sister who was in Bacolod and she told me that she was scared but they were safe. And while we were still talking, the earth shook yet again! And again, I couldn't feel it because I was on the escalator! (Talk about luck!) But the flags in the kids' cart in the mall were waving like crazy. Watsons staff also ran out of their store to the lobby. Mantaring, a local fix-it shop, had their keys for duplicating jingling like bells. I couldn't help but notice that Jollibee, Chowking and Greenwich were still serving customers and people were still queueing. (No quake can stop hunger?)
Papoy told me to hurry so we can go to a smaller mall for lunch. At this point, SM City's PA system already made several announcements calling people not to panic and to proceed to the exit doors slowly and that there was no need to run. This was when tenants started running to lock their stores and flee. We rode the car and joined the long queue of cars making their way to the street.
I was already worried about Draco and so we went straight to CIC to pick him up. By then, there was already mild traffic outside the school and parents were coming out of the school with their kids in tow. When I got inside, the students were in the quadrangle and were being appeased by their teachers. I tried to look for my little boy but I couldnt find him in the sea of students. It's a good thing Nyx's teacher saw me and motioned me to go where they were as she asked Draco to stand up so I can see him. It was beginning to drizzle so I told Draco to hurry to his classroom and get his bag. Being the OC that he is, he took the open book on the table, placed it in his bag, got the pencil, placed it in the pencil case and tried to make his books stand properly in his bag. I grabbed his bag and told him to hurry because the other students were being asked to line up by the corridors and we might get trapped in the crowd.
Draco told us that while they were writing in their Language book, the floor started turning underneath him. They were asked to go outside and stay at the quadrangle. When they were about to go inside, the earthquake started again. So they stayed at the quadrangle and prayed which was when I arrived.
I am thankful that Papoy and I were there right away to be with our children. I am very, very thankful that I was not on duty yesterday and I was with the kids when the aftershocks kept coming even when we were already in bed.
God is so much greater than any earthquake and tsunami combined. And like He said during the tempest that scared the disciples, we all just need to have faith in Him.
