TERREMOTO!

Was at work when it happened. 3:20AM. Was clacking away at the PC when i realized that everything was moving. Swaying was more like it. Earthquake! Na naman?! What came to mind immediately was the Mayon Volcano. It has been acting up lately, and the government has advised people to stay away from the 6-kilometer safety radius. Baka pumutok na naman ang hinayupak na 'yun, ah.

When Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, the tremors were felt as far as Mindanao. I was seated in the sala of a family friend's house in Cagayan de Oro when it happened.

I remember vividly during one dark night in Pampanga (made even darker by province-wide power failures), an earthquake strong enough saw people running out of their houses in the middle of the night. I was just a grade schooler then. Our entire household was herded into the azotea (uy, azotea daw o! Baka terrace lang yun!) where we were made to kneel and pray. My eyes were transfixed at a nearby electricity pole, swaying against the dark night sky.

I don't remember anymore how many earthquakes i've experienced while living in these Ring-of-fire-islands. As if the economy is not bad enough, nakikisabay pa talaga ang mga dyaskeng bulkan at lindol na 'yan.

God have mercy on us all. We can only take so much in a lifetime.

*Sighs.