Faith vis-à-vis facts

Science explains that it was due to the movement of the plates beneath the ocean floor. The Pacific plate smoothly slipped under the ocean plate not creating a clash that could have caused a life-threatening tsunami. Phivolcs further explained that the origin or focus of the tectonic quake was around 45 kilometers below the seabed thus the energy somehow dissipated or decreased in force upon reaching the ocean floor. The facts that there are lesser skyscrapers in the affected towns and cities than in the highly populated urban areas, and lesser population density were also viewed as factors why damage was placed at nominal level.

Religion, notwithstanding these scientific explanations, viewed the aftermath as a “miracle”, an event made through the intervention of the Omnipotent God. The very strong tremor, which was erstwhile registered as magnitude 7.9 in Phivolcs Earthquake Intensity Scale but later downgraded to 7.6 magnitude by the United States Geological Survey, was described by authority as “strong enough to topple structures,” yet “no major damage was reported even in Sulangan.” The seismic activity emanated offshore yet no upsurge of seawater level was significantly observed in Eastern Visayas, especially in Eastern Samar.

Palo Archbishop John Du said, “God saved us,” affirming the outcome as “miracle”. This fact could be the same notion in the mind of the public. The prelate observed that a day following the occurrence of the quake, mass goers tripled such as those who attended the early morning Eucharistic celebration. This made him pronounce that our people recognized the power of God. He nevertheless called on the people to “thank God that we are still alive and (the quake) did not cause much damage.” He stressed, though, in an interview with LSDE that the natural event could be “God’s way of ‘reminding’ the faithful, particularly those ‘un-Church people’ to always remember Him.”