Flag saved the children, says teacher in wake of Mindanao earthquake

Amid the chaos caused by the powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sarangani on Monday morning, a flagpole that was used at the first flag-raising ceremony for the new school year ended up saving hundreds of children at a public school in Davao City.

A video shared by YouScooper Jessa Babatuan, a teacher at the Cabantian Elementary School in Davao City, showed learners gathered outdoors for the flag-raising rites as the tremor hit – a routine activity which saved their lives.

“Our flag saved a lot of learners today,” a grateful Babantuan said in the caption of her video, as she thanked God for saving them and for the flag, which stood as a “beacon of safety.”

The video showed some students covering their heads with their hands as they walked to safety, while other students calmly stood or sat amid the earthquake that hit on the first day of classes for the school year.

Because the students, teachers, and parents were already outdoors for the flag-raising ceremony, they were able to conduct safety procedures amid the earthquake and avoid getting trapped inside the buildings.

Babantuan said no one from their school was hurt or injured, and that safety inspections of the school buildings are still ongoing after some cracks were noticed after the earthquake.

The major earthquake that hit off the coast of Maasim, Sarangani on Monday at 7:37 a.m. was felt in different areas in Mindanao and left several students horrified on the first day of school.

Most of the schools were in the middle of their Monday flag ceremonies when the quake struck.

In Rgil Relator’s report on “24 Oras,” a video showed students at the Matanao National High School in Davao del Sur evacuating to open grounds when a two-storey condemned school building collapsed as a result of the powerful earthquake.

Fortunately, the building was far from the students as they walked to safer ground. The building has been condemned after sustaining cracks from earthquakes in 2019 and is set to be demolished.

Similar events were recorded at Sta. Ana Central Elementary School and Davao City National High School in Davao City, and at Demolok Valley National High School in Davao Occidental.

In Davao City, all classes in public and private schools, as well as work in all government offices, were immediately suspended. — JMA, GMA News