When the Ground Gave Way

Malapatan sits along the coast of Sarangani, a municipality more used to fishing boats and coconut groves than to the kind of violence that can come from underground. When the 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck near Sarangani, it split the earth open underneath Fernando’s neighborhood in Sitio Lanao.

“I’ve never experienced anything like it.”

Fernando, a pastor and father, had lived on that land for years. The quake had left it with a crack, long and deep enough to swallow four houses whole. He, his family, and his community had no choice but to leave it behind entirely.

Where Do We Go Now?

The days after the earthquake were about one question: where do we go now?

Government assistance gave Fernando the means to build an emergency shelter on safer grounds. It was in this same period that the European Union-funded ACCESS Project reached Malapatan, delivering rice and relief goods to families like his. With very limited resources, the food kits eased their expenses and bridged their needs for the next two weeks, while they were still figuring out their way to recovery.

More Than Aid

Beyond the assistance, Fernando shared that what stayed with him was the company. “We got to talk with people, connect with others,” he said. “At least you’re not alone.” People who visited weren’t just delivering aid; their presence, he says, was its own kind of relief. “Even when you’re worrying, seeing that kind of support makes you feel stronger.”

An Anchor for Others

For a man who lost his home to the earthquake, Fernando talked less about what was taken from him and more about what he feels he could give. He has become an anchor to his companions, urging them to stay steady through hardship. “Whatever trial comes, we need to stay strong,” he tells them, a sentiment that he also had to practice himself, in real time, while the ground was still moving.

He has arrived at a conviction he returns to often: that receiving help comes with an obligation to extend it. “It’s not just about receiving,” he said. “You also need to give to other people.” Seeing people come together for the earthquake response, urged him to be willing to help other people in need. For Fernando, the lesson wasn’t only that help arrived, it was that help is something you pass on.

Still Standing

Today, his family is residing on an evacuation camp with his neighbors and his children are back in school. In a community still rebuilding block by block, Fernando reminds everyone else that it’s possible to be strong.

The crack in the old land is still there, but somehow, Fernando has chosen to plant himself back down. Through receiving help, he found that even when the ground gives way, it’s still possible to find solid footing again, and to help someone else find theirs.

Photos: Riza Marie Fausto/CARE