Mother still hopes to find children buried in Bohol landslide after quake

Armed with only hope and a strong premonition, a mother is still hoping to see her children alive after they've been missing for four days since the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck Central Visayas on Tuesday.

A 24 Oras video Friday showed Nora Somoro from Sagbayan, Bohol, the mother of two of five children believed to have been buried alive under piles of mud and rock after a landslide triggered by the powerful quake that jolted most parts of Bohol and Cebu.

Holiday gone wrong

That day, the schools had closed down in celebration of Eid-al-Adha, the Muslim religious tradition of Feast of the Sacrifice.

Nora recalled how her two daughters, Joelyn and Jonalyn asked permission to bathe in nearby waterfalls in Barangay Katipunan with three other children just before the quake.

Although Sagbayan was the epicenter of the killer quake which claimed at least 175 lives, the town sustained less damage compared to places such as Loon and Maribojoc.

Still, at least 11 casualties were recorded in Sagbayan, along with the five missing children.

The odds were against them, but Nora was adamant in visiting the place where the children were last seen.

The source of her strength

One of Nora's daughters, Jessa Somoro, said the source of her mother's strength comes from a premonition she had after the calamity.

“Nanaginip kasi si mama na buhay pa yung mga bata—tumawag sa kanya 'Ma nandito kami sa bato nakatago, 'di kami makalabas,'” Jessa explained.

So the mother and daughter braved the trek to the waterfalls the children said they would go. They were accompanied by police and GMA's veteran anchor and reporter Kara David as they ventured into the dense forest surrounding the mountainous area of Barangay Katipunan.

The aftermath of the earthquake became more evident the farther they walked. Massive cracks in the mountain began to appear. The group even had to take a detour to avoid a crack-riddled area in fear of an aftershock further damaging the mountain and causing another landslide.

To turn back, not away

There were no signs of movement or life when they reached the falls.

The area was said to be a deep place from which the water flowed, but now there were only hulking rocks and little to no running water—making it difficult to believe there had ever been a waterfall there.

Nora started desperately calling the names of her daughters, but there was no reply.
That was when the truth sunk in and mother and daughter began crying.

According to the police, it was impossible and highly dangerous to try and dig at the site without heavy equipment, so the group had to turn back. Jessa was reluctant to leave but eventually went with the group.

An altar can be found in the Somoro's barong barong, where food offerings were also in place.

As a mother, Nora refused to accept the untimely death of her children, all the while quietly asking for the slightest sign. She still hopes to be reunited with her children or at least find their bodies. — Andrei Medina/VC, GMA News