Thirteen days after northern Cebu was battered by a 6.9-magnitude earthquake with Bogo City identified as the epicenter, another strong tremor struck the same area at 1:06 a.m. on October 13, 2025.
Although the local population has grown somewhat accustomed to aftershocks, the 6.0-magnitude temblor sent residents rushing outdoors in fear for their lives. Social media quickly went into overdrive, with differing accounts of the earthquake’s intensity circulating online.
Cebu Archbishop Alberto “Abet” Uy immediately posted an update on his social media platform, Maymay sa Magbalantay, sharing a news report from Inquirer.net with the caption: “Amping og ampo, mga igsoon” (Take care and pray, my brothers and sisters).
Five hours later, Archbishop Abet went live to offer his reflections on the day’s Gospel reading (Luke 11:29–32). Heavy rain and thunder could be heard in the background as he spoke.
The Universal Church commemorates October 13 as the Memorial of the Final Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima. In his homily, Archbishop Abet recalled the final apparition witnessed by thousands during the Miracle of the Sun.
Speaking in Cebuano, he reflected that Mary’s timeless message, “Pray. Do penance. Turn back to God,” continues to resonate today, especially among Filipinos dismayed by widespread corruption in government infrastructure projects.
“The earthquakes we experience are natural calamities that destroy homes, churches, and lives,” the archbishop said in Cebuano. “But what is even more serious is the moral calamity—the massive graft and corruption in high government places that have enraged our people.”
He posed a reflective question: “Are the Fatima message and the spate of natural disasters mere coincidences, or is God telling us something?”
“Perhaps, like the people of Nineveh, God is calling us to repentance, to wake up from our moral slumber and to cleanse our hearts and institutions,” he added.
In the same post, Archbishop Abet, who turns 59 on October 18, announced that he would be in northern Cebu to celebrate his birthday with the people in the earthquake-stricken region. He urged the faithful to continue praying and to share what they can to assist the victims.
(Malou Guanzon Apalisok is a freelancer based in the Philippines who contributes regularly to RVA)
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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