On the evening of September 30, 2025, as most residents of Bogo City in northern Cebu lay asleep, disaster struck. A magnitude 6.9 earthquake rattled the region, leaving devastation in its wake—at least 75 people lost their lives, thousands of homes were reduced to rubble, and the city’s infrastructure suffered billions of pesos in losses. The tragedy was swift and shocking, but it was only the beginning for the Philippines, a nation all too familiar with the earth’s unpredictable fury.
Less than two weeks later, on October 10, another seismic event hit the archipelago. This time, a double earthquake—registering magnitudes of 7.4 and 6.8—struck off the coast of Manay town in Davao Oriental, Mindanao. Despite being stronger on the Richter scale, these quakes claimed just eight lives, a stark contrast to the deadly toll in Cebu. The question on many minds: why did a weaker quake in Cebu prove so much more catastrophic than the stronger ones in Davao?
According to the Cebu Daily News, the answer lies in the complex science of earthquakes. As the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) explained, magnitude isn’t the only factor that determines an earthquake’s destructiveness. Dr. Teresito Bacolcol, Phivolcs Director, told reporters in Manila, “The Cebu quake was more destructive than Davao’s because its depth was only five kilometers. In Davao, the depth was 23 kilometers.”
Shallow earthquakes, like the one that struck Cebu, release their energy much closer to the surface, resulting in far more intense ground shaking. In Cebu’s case, the epicenter was also only about 15 kilometers off Bogo’s coast, while Davao’s doublet quakes originated more than 40 kilometers offshore. The further seismic waves must travel to reach populated areas, the more their energy dissipates, lessening the impact.
But depth and distance weren’t the only culprits. The Cebu quake was generated by movement along a shallow strike-slip fault system. As Dr. Mario Aurelio, a structural geologist at the University of the Philippines, wrote for Rappler, these types of faults tend to release energy right at the surface, causing stronger and more localized shaking. The quake even caused a visible surface rupture on land—something that amplifies destruction in nearby communities. In contrast, the Davao quakes were triggered by a deep reverse fault along the Philippine Trench, a subduction zone far offshore. The energy had to travel through the sea before making landfall, resulting in less violent shaking for those on land.
Population density played a significant role as well. Bogo City, with its 88,000 residents, is more than twice as populous as Manay, Davao Oriental, which has about 40,000 inhabitants. The timing of the Cebu quake—striking late at night—meant people were caught off guard, many asleep in older homes not built to modern seismic standards. The consequences were tragic and immediate.
Local geology further compounded the problem. Cebu sits atop soft limestone and karst terrain, according to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau in Central Visayas. About 60 percent of the province features caves, sinkholes, and underground cavities—features that can amplify ground shaking and increase the risk of structural collapse. As Bacolcol explained, “If the rock is hard, seismic energy passes through quickly. But our sedimentary layers, rocks, and soil are not hard. Seismic energy can linger longer there.”
While the Philippines reeled from these back-to-back seismic disasters, another threat loomed. Typhoon Ragasa, locally known as Super Typhoon Nando, battered the northernmost portions of Luzon in late September, just days before the Cebu quake. The storm left a trail of destruction—deaths, injuries, thousands of families displaced, and significant damage to infrastructure and agriculture, as reported by the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait.
In the wake of these calamities, the Embassy released a statement on October 12, expressing solidarity with the Filipino nation and urging Filipinos in Kuwait to support relief efforts. “The Embassy advises Filipinos in Kuwait to send their donations through legitimate and reputable organizations to ensure that assistance reaches the victims,” the statement read. The Embassy also cautioned against spreading misinformation, a reminder of the chaos that can follow disasters when rumors outpace facts.
The string of recent disasters has reignited concerns about the country’s preparedness for even larger seismic events. On October 14, the Department of Health (DOH) called for a sweeping review and update of disaster response plans, especially those concerning healthcare infrastructure. The specter of the so-called “Big One”—a potentially catastrophic magnitude 7.2 earthquake expected from the West Valley Fault running through Metro Manila—looms large.
DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa told GMA News that existing disaster plans are outdated, given the changes in Metro Manila’s landscape over the past decade. “There is still a big change in plans needed. There had been a lot of changes in the city, in the hospitals themselves. We built it, I remember in 2012 and 2013… Ten years ago, when we did the big one planning, but we have to revisit,” Herbosa said. He emphasized that hospitals must be structurally sound, capable of withstanding a magnitude 7.2 earthquake. “Hospitals need to be safe even after an earthquake. We should be the last building standing.”
Herbosa also highlighted the need for “soft preparations”—improvements in protocols, training, and coordination—to ensure effective disaster response. The DOH’s renewed focus comes as the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) confirmed that the recent earthquakes will not trigger the West Valley Fault. Nevertheless, the threat remains, and the governments of Japan and the Philippines have agreed to revisit their joint study on the impact of the “Big One” within the next two years.
With the Philippines situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, earthquakes and typhoons are perennial threats. Yet, as these recent disasters have shown, the difference between survival and tragedy often hinges on a complex interplay of geology, timing, infrastructure, and preparedness. For many Filipinos, the challenge now is to rebuild—and to be ready for whatever comes next.