A stark reminder we live in the Pacific Ring of Fire

As I was preparing to write this column yesterday morning, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck off the coast of Manay, Davao Oriental, at a shallow depth of about 10 kilometers, according to Al Jazeera. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) immediately issued a tsunami warning, urging residents in coastal areas to evacuate to higher ground or move farther inland.

- Atty. Ian Vincent Manticajon [e-mail]

These days, videos of people's horrifying experiences of quakes are posted on social media shortly after the incident. I saw people screaming and praying, in moments of seeming helplessness, while the person holding the camera kept recording. Indeed for many of us, earthquakes feel like the scariest of disasters.

A volcanic eruption shows warning signs, giving authorities time to raise alerts. Typhoons are tracked days ahead, so people can prepare. We can often escape fires with timely detection and clear exits. But earthquakes are different; they strike without warning. You can run to open areas, which are considered safer than buildings during a strong one. But the thing you trust most --the ground-- is moving, leaving you feeling defenseless.

In Cebu, where the shaking was also felt yesterday, I saw on social media people standing outside buildings, waiting for clearance to go back in. The experience here may have felt especially unsettling, as we had just gone through a magnitude 6.9 earthquake last week, with northern Cebu hardest hit.