An earthquake occurred on October 15, 2013, at 8:12 a.m. in Bohol, an island province located in Central Visayas, Philippines. The magnitude of the earthquake at the epicenter was recorded at Mw 7.2, located 6 kilometers (3.7 mi) SW of Sagbayan town, at a depth of 12 kilometers (7.5 mi). (PHIVOLCS, 15 Oct 2013). It affected the whole Central Visayas region, particularly Bohol and Cebu. According to official reports by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), 222 were reported dead, 8 were missing, and 976 people were injured. In all, more than 73,000 structures were damaged, of which more than 14,500 were totally destroyed. A total of 3,198 aftershocks were recorded, 94 of which were felt.
In October 26, 2013, faculty and staff of Banilad Center for Professional Development (BCPD), a technical vocational school in Cebu City went to Bohol primarily to give aid to families and neighbors of students, alumnae, and friends affected by the earthquake. Since aid from government was coming from the capital, Tagbilaran City, municipalities 41-93 kilometers away had not been reached also due to destroyed roads and bridges. People had little food, no potable water and needed temporary shelter.
The BCPD team of volunteers loaded the aid packs in a truck that boarded the roll-in roll-out (RORO) barge. They crossed the Cebu Strait to Tubigon port, to reach the most affected areas in Bohol directly. The aid packs included 5 gallon-water supply, food (rice, noodles, sardines, beef loaf, and biscuits), clothing, and materials for a makeshift shelter (15m X 3m tarpaulin, 4 wooden pole, and wire). In the end, 500 aid packs and 2000 gallons of water were distributed.
The people from Tubigon, Calape, and Danao were very happy and grateful to receive the goods. They saw wearied faces break into smiles; some eyes welling with tears of gratitude. Some teachers requested for more tarpaulin and poles to construct a makeshift classroom determined to resume classes for the elementary students.
On November 2, 2013, another group of volunteers went back to Bohol, particularly to Magtangtang, a remote barrio in Danao where no aid had reached. People were living in the plaza at the back of the totally wrecked church. This time the aid packs included hygiene supplies like detergent, toothpaste, shampoo, household items such as blankets, curtains, old carpets, floor, and garden mats.
The volunteers went back to Cebu enriched and inspired. They had witnessed the devastation such as a 3-story building swallowed by the earth, mountains sliced into half, boulders in the streets caused by landslide, heaps of rubble, remnants of what used to be homes, and some stories of loss of loved ones. But amidst all these, they saw people united in love, strong in their faith, with the will to move on, resilient to adverse events.