Cebu quake inspires Miss Asia Pacific Int'l 2025 candidates to help out

The candidates of Miss Asia Pacific International (MAPI) 2025 were about to wrap up their benefit gala show on September 30 when something felt off. What was originally a moment of dizziness for some candidates turned out to be external, as the whole venue began to shake when the 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck Cebu, sending the audience and contestants into panic.

- By JANUAR JUNIOR AGUJA

This was the first time that Belgium's representative, Jana Janssess, had experienced an earthquake.

"We don't learn earthquake drills in school because we don't have quakes in Belgium," she told The FREEMAN. "It opened my eyes that we need to raise awareness in our country, especially if someone from Belgium goes to another country, so they'll know what to do when an earthquake happens."

It was also the first time for Canada's bet, Naomi Shotlander, to experience one. What frightened her wasn't the tremor itself, but the panic that followed.

"That's when I thought we might actually lose our lives that night, and that's when the reality hit us that we needed to get out right away," she said.

As for India's Danube Kangjam and the United States' Kayla Jane Usison, both had experienced earthquakes in their respective home countries, but never at this scale.

"I live on the borders of India, which is close to the Himalayas, so we are prone to earthquakes. But this is the most extreme I have ever experienced," Kangjam said.

"Growing up in California, we're taught at a young age what to do when an earthquake happens," said Usison, a Fil-Am who represented Bago City, Negros Occidental in Miss Universe Philippines 2025.

"We are so used to earthquakes that when it happens, it's like, 'Oh, an earthquake.' But the scary part was seeing how people reacted, especially those who were still on stage," she added. "I thought I was going to pass out from lack of sleep, but it was the quake. I remained calm because I knew what to do: take cover and get out. Luckily, the organization was really good at keeping us calm and collected for our safety."