SAGBAYAN Mayor Restituto Q. Suarez III expressed optimism during the unveiling of the quake marker said to be the epicenter ten years after the deadly earthquake despite sufferings the townsfolk are facing.
“Pero, hinay hinay kita ni bangon ug karon ania na kita sa 2023 nga mibarog, mibangon nga mas lig-on sa pag-atubang sa mga pagsuway sa atong lungsod,” Suarez told visitors and municipal workers and officials during the simple commemorative program. (Slowly, we rise and we’re now in 2023 strong and resilient to confront the challenges ahead of us.).
Mayor Suarez and Vice Mayor Asuncion Ybañez led the ceremonies, attended by the Sangguniang Bayan members, municipal department heads and employees.
The launching of the quake marker last week in front of the new municipal hall building is an opportunity for the townsfolk to reminisce their loved ones.
“It is a chance for us all to remember these people and their loved ones who grieved with them. Napulo na ka tuig ang nilabay pero presko pa sa atong huna huna ang mga panghitabo ug sakit siya palumdomon,” Suarez said in his welcome address.
Vice-Gov. Dionisio Victor Balite, in his message, called those who perished in the aftermath of the quake as “heroes in their own way” as a way of his tribute to them.
Balite officially represented Gov. Aris Aumentado in the program here just as he did in the same commemoration and marker unveiling in Loon Church, Loon, Bohol and expressed whatever support his office or the provincial government may extend for whatever development the town wishes for.
Dr. Teresito Bacolcol, director of Philippine Volcanology and Seismology, also gave messages of support as he lauded the Bohol’s Bayanihan spirit in times of catastrophe.
The marker, placed at the municipal hall, is a reminder to the Boholanos of the destruction brought upon the island during the earthquake that took the lives of 209 people in the province and destroyed more than 71,000 structures, including built heritage structures.
Bacolcol, for her part, praised Bohol’s unique geology, composed of karst topography and limestone formations, evident in the island’s designation as the first UNESCO Global Geopark in the country.
The director added that she hopes LGUs have increased their preparations in the event of another major earthquake, saying the aftermath of 2013 should serve as a reminder to build safer, earthquake-resistant infrastructures and implement robust risk reduction measures.
Sagbayan was recorded as the epicenter, 6 km in the southwest area, and has a 12 km depth, with a level eight seismic intensity that took the lives of 18 people in the municipality.
PHIVOLCS described the 2013 phenomenon as a unique occurrence, being the first recorded reverse thrust fault-type earthquake to happen inland in the Philippines, as most of its kind arises off-shore.
A thrust fault earthquake is where the ground movement goes up vertically rather than horizontally. This explains why some areas in Bohol, such as Loon and Maribojoc, experienced land uplifting since the island’s geology was reverse fault dominant. (rvo w/ PIMO’s report)
