Damage on tombs and apartment-type niches are apparent, while the wake of 11 persons of 33 in Bogo City who perished in the powerful earthquake in northern Cebu is held in one place.
Residents went to the Corazon Cemetery to check.
Rosalina Ramos, among visitors, offered prayers for the death anniversary of a sibling. She said she would have come on October 2, 2025, or a month to All Souls Day, to inspect the condition of the tomb after she heard of destroyed niches.
“Death anniversary po ng sister ko tapos chi-nek (check) na lang po namin kung okay pa ba yung nitso nila, kasi dito sa Bogo yung center [epicenter] ng lindol,” Ramos said.
She is thankful that the tomb sustained a minor crack only.
According to the cemetery caretaker, 50 percent of over 20,000 tombs were destroyed.
An apartment-type ossuary, or bone chamber, that kept bones of over 1,000 deceased persons, was reduced to rubble.
Even the tombs of the newly interred were destroyed; coffins have become visible, one of which is nearly opened.
“Hasta mga patay diri o, nangguho na ang mga kabaong nila, unya marami baya ni. Problema gyud ni sa among kaparian. Ila man ni sa parokya gud,” Celestino Bentulan, the caretaker, said.
The Corazon Cemetery is a public cemetery run by the San Vicente Ferrer Parish.
Bentulan called on families or relatives to check the tombs and niches of their loved ones buried in Corazon Cemetery.
Meanwhile, the wake of 11 persons who are relatives, and their neighbors, is set on a vacant lot in Sitio Felomina, Barangay Binabag, Bogo City.
A 17-year-old girl identified as Lady Jane Ytang died while saving her parents, three siblings, including a baby-sibling.
It was learned that Ytang was already out of the house when the tremor struck, but ran back inside the house to help members of her family.
“Tinawag nya kaming lahat, sabi nya ‘Ma, Pa, si Baby dapaan nyo. Tapos dinapaan niya. Siya yung natamaan,” said Lady’s mother.
The father, Silvestre Ytang Jr., who sustained injuries, recounts his daughter's sacrifice.
“Pasalamat ako sa anak ko, sinakripisyo na yung buhay nya para sa amin,” the father said.
Meanwhile, a resident named Mark Malinao was not around when his two boys were pinned to death. He was at work in Cebu City when the shaking occurred.
Mark said he has a hard time accepting the loss of his two sons, ages 10 years old and five years old, all at once.
He said that the mother of the child tried to save the two boys, but they were all hit in a rockfall.
The mother sustained injuries on the face and other body parts.
“Masakit, hindi ko matanggap sa ngayon,” Malinao said.
Another grieving resident, Cristita Malinao, has a hard time accepting the loss of four grandchildren, a son, and a daughter in law.
"Masakit ma’am kay akong anak ug mga apo, grabe gyud. Ako lang gidawat kay unsaon man, di man ni nato pagbuot,” Cristita said.
The victims are all residents of a "sitio" (sub-village) at the foot of a mountain.
Their houses were crushed by boulders that rolled from the mountain in a quake-induced rockslide.
Quake victims have started to receive assistance in various forms from the government, as of this writing.
They appealed for relocation as well as livelihood opportunities to be able to start over again.
All 11 victims will be buried on Wednesday, October 8, 2025.
The earthquake that struck northern Cebu on September 30, 2025 killed at least 73 people and injured at least 297.
It has affected 47,221 families (170,959 individuals) with many needing food and shelter.
