Kinablangan Fiesta | Subtle Cancellation

This past weekend was rough for most residents of Baganga in Davao Oriental, following the recent earthquake that shook the town of Manay (pronounced as Man-Ay) with a 7.6 magnitude. Throughout these past few days, morale has been low, and the silence screams in Kinablangan, which had been planning to celebrate 122 years of its founding with scheduled events and activities. There have been no scheduled basketball or volleyball games, and those who still have a home to go to are mostly indoors. There have been several aftershocks since Friday, and they vary, with the strongest one the same day the earthquake happened, that one during nighttime with a magnitude of 6.5, taking more than a minute.

Davao Oriental | When the Day Did Not Stand Still

The day started with slightly muggy weather, and it wasn’t the usual bright and sunny disposition while getting ready to leave to head out to the municipal town of Baganga for an early morning supply run. It’s Friday, and people are getting up to start their day before the weekend happens with the usual routine. Personally, the day seems slow, and something was a bit off as I saw the grey sky, and the sun wasn’t as bright as usual. Traveling from Kinablangan to Baganga, 40 minutes to almost an hour away, just to go on a supply run. Nothing was happening on the road while we headed to our destination. This day seemed so strange that I did not totally ignore it, but this morning does not have the usual feel to it.