Father Soc lauds Dagupeños’ resiliency
REMEMBERING JULY 16, 1990 EARTHQUAKE
LINGAYEN-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas lauded Pangasinenses’ resilience and fortitude for holding on and not abandoning Dagupan City after it was heavily devastated by an earthquake 25 years ago.
In an afternoon Mass at the St. John The Evangelist Metropolitan Cathedral here Thursday in commemoration of the July 16, 1990 tremor, “Fr. Soc” told the parishioners that is being commemorating is “the fortitude of Pangasinenses to hold on despite the massive destruction”.
Villegas recalled that in 1990, Malacanang and Congress had advised the people of Dagupan “to abandon the city, to transfer to another place and start again and it would be cheaper”.
But the people stayed on and rebuilt their beloved place which is very laudable, he added.
The 1990 earthquake hit Luzon on July 16 at 4:26 p.m. local time. The shock had a surface wave magnitude of 7.8 and produced a 125 km-long ground rupture that stretched from Dingalan, Aurora to Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija.
Some 90 buildings in Dagupan City were damaged, and 20 collapsed. Some structures sank by 1 meter owing to liquefaction. The earthquake also caused massive flooding because of a decrease in the city’s elevation. The city suffered 64 casualties of which 47 survived and 17 died.
Most injuries were sustained during stampedes at a university building and a theater.
The archbishop urged the youth and the students wherever fate might lead them later “to remember always the sacrifices of their forebears and what Pangasinan went through”.
“Hold on to Pangasinan. Hold on to Dagupan. Do not give away this province,” he added.
“It is a grace from God to us. It is providential that the resiliency, the fortitude, the courage of Pangasinenses and Dagupenos on this day is celebrated on the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel,” he said.
He urged the faithful “to stick it up, to stick it out and never release our faith in Pangasinan, our faith in Dagupan, our faith in the Lord.” (Tita Roces)
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