GLAN, Sarangani (MindaNews / 11 June 2026) — Arbaiya Esmael didn’t realize her house had collapsed when the earth shook violently at 7:37 a.m. on Monday. “Akala ko wasak na ang mundo. Naiyak talaga ako” (I thought it was the end of the word. I really cried).
The 57-year-old Arbaiya had just stepped out of the house and had gone up to the highway a few meters away, passing by a store, when the Magnitude 7.8 quake struck, the strongest she has experienced in her lifetime.
The quake, whose offshore epicenter was 32 kilometers west of Maasim, Sarangani, registered Intensity VIII in four of seven Sarangani towns: Glan, Kiamba, Malapatan and Malungon.
Arbaiya told MindaNews on Wednesday afternoon that she held on to the store’s bamboo bench while shouting, in the language of Maguindanaons, to those who were still inside the house. So focused was she on urging them to get out that she did not realize (“hindi ko napansin”), that her house had collapsed.
There were three of her loved ones inside the house — a grandson who managed to run out of the house, and the youngest, a four-month infant who was pulled out to safety by the mother who grabbed the baby’s feet from the bed as the structure was collapsing.
Mother and child were thrown off and landed on the yard but survived without injuries.
As of 9 a.m. on June 11, The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) reported 20 dead across Sarangani, 12 of them from Glan.
Arbaiya has been wanting to call her daughter in Riyadh to inform her they are all safe but their house, a three-decade old structure of hollow block walls built from the combined savings of her children, is gone.
But there is no way for her to communicate with her daughter, a domestic helper in Riyadh. “Walang signal” (There’s no phone signal here).
Since Monday’s quake, telecommunication services have been down. Power and water supply have yet to be restored in this town hardest hit by the quake.
She wants to tell her daughter not to worry because they are all safe. But even as she tried to keep her composure, she could not control her tears. “Wala na talaga kaming bahay, wala na silang mauwian” (We don’t have a house anymore for them to come home to).
Beside her house is the house of her sibling who also worked overseas to build a house for her family. “Pinagpaguran niya, wala na rin” (She worked hard for this, now it’s gone).
Arbaiya said on the outside, her sister’s house still stands, but inside, “crack na lahat” (are all cracks). “Parang nakakatakot pasukan” (Entering it is dangerous).
Addressing her relatives outside Glan, Arbaiya said: “Huwag na kayo mag-alala. Pero siguro (Don’t’ worry. But I think we’re) back to number one.”
“Naghanapbuhay para makabahay… tapos ganito lang (They worked to build a house, then it’s gone).
But Arbaiya believes this must have been Allah’s will. “Siguro sa, ano, sa Panginoon ito na wala tayong magawa, no? Si God na ang nag -ano, si Allah na ang nagdesisyon.”
“Siguro panibagong yugto na naman ng buhay… Kami dito lahat okay naman. Yun lang talaga, ang bahay wala na. Wala na tayong bahay.” (I think this is a new chapter in our life. … We are all okay. But our house is gone. We don’t have a house anymore), Arbaiya said.
She thanked Allah because “safe naman kami” (we’re all safe).
In Sitio Kabog, Purok B also in Barangay Kapatan, residents waited on the roadside with a message on a makeshift streamer: “We need Help. Bugas/Tubig” (Rice/Water).
They said they received a packed lunch from Senator Pia Cayetano. Another said it was from Senator Alan Peter Cayetano. Someone gave them half a sack of rice which they apportioned and distributed in small plastic bags.
Herminio Asas, Sr., Purok Leader, said they decided to move to the highway because they have not received any assistance.
In Malapatan town, 81-year old Asia Toto Bahasuan and 74-year old Habiba Sandigan Bahasuan, had just finished their breakfast and had just gone out of the house when the quake struck.
The house with hollow block walls like Arbaiya’s, collapsed. On Wednesday, the things they managed to retrieve from the rubble could be found in various parts of the yard.
Habiba managed to save herself by clinging on to the thin but sturdy trunks of two palm trees. Asia found herself a safe spot elsewhere. (Carolyn O. Arguillas / MindaNews)
