Philippines Earthquake and Typhoon: Letter from Arman Pedro 10/3/2025

Greetings from the UU Church of the Philippines. May this message find you all well and in good spirits!

As you may have seen on the news, the Philippines was hit by two typhoons and most recently a magnitude 6.9 earthquake with epicenter in Cebu province. Another typhoon is making a landfall today in Luzon area which is far from us.

The two typhoons brought heavy rains which caused severe flooding and strong winds that destroyed crops and houses and some public structures in the affected areas. Negros Island, where UUCP National Office and it's various congregations are located, experienced only moderate rains and occasional strong winds. Members reported no injuries and no damages except our Caican church which is just few meters from the ocean. The church is getting closer to the ocean each year.

As to the earthquake, the epicenter was located in Bogo City in the province of Cebu with recorded death of 60+ people. Rescue operations are still on-going. Two Negros provinces are not that far from Cebu province which belongs to the Visayas group of islands. The intensity of the earthquake vary from different towns and cities here in Negros. Those towns and cities facing Cebu experienced a bit stronger impact. It was scary as it happened at night where many had been sleeping already.

Many screamed and ran outside their houses due to fear. The last strong earthquake that we experienced here was February, 2012, during the ICUUW and IARF conferences hosted by UUCP. That time the epicenter was here in Negros Oriental particularly the towns of Tayasan and Ayungon which sustained huge damages to houses and vital structures such as roads, bridges, and school buildings.

Anyway, we are lucky that we are safe here in Negros but it's heartbreaking to see the devastation it caused in Cebu. Our congregations and fellowships members reported no injuries and no damages to houses. Some stayed a bit longer outside for fear of aftershocks. There were a few aftershocks felt in Cebu areas on that night and the next days, but almost not felt in Negros.

I have checked also the TSQ Apartment and Dormitory building and found no structural damages except some hairline cracks which already existed even before the earthquake. Our tenants are all safe.

Thank you all for your deep concerns and your prayers.

In faith,

Rev. Arman Pedro

Church Administrator