I’m late with this news. Very late.
Julia was sick.
I just had ACL reconstruction surgery.
We’re not very timely right now.
This is still relevant so you understand what goes on in the Philippines.
The Philippines recently experienced back-to-back-to-back earthquakes. Most of the incidents occurred in Mindanao, with the worst happening last October 10, 2025. The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.4 and was so strong that it affected half the country. My team in the Visayas and Mindanao felt the impact, and it lasted for several days.
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2025/10/11/2479002/magnitude-74-quake-jolts-davao-region
Julia told me it was the worst earthquake she had experienced in her life.
“I’ve grown up with earthquakes. One of my earliest memories was seeing our Christmas decorations sway as our house was shaking.
I’m so used to earthquakes growing up that I don’t panic when they happen. But this last one, it scared me.
This earthquake was so strong that it made me physically ill. I felt dizzy because there wasn’t anything stable to hold on to. The earth shook so much that wires connecting the electrical poles snapped and transformers exploded. It lasted so long that pets started freaking out, and the people around me started crying and having panic attacks.
What made the experience worse was that my family was all over the city. I just dropped off my daughter at the mall for a school event. My husband and sister-in-law were on the road. The power was out, and I couldn’t get in touch with them. The mobile signal returned a few minutes after the earthquake subsided, allowing me to confirm that everybody was okay.
I had nightmares for days after that.
Still, I’m thankful. Everybody in my family is safe. My house didn’t experience any damage. We were able to recover within a few days.”
On top of this, there was a storm (Typhoon Ramil) that hit southern Luzon and parts of Visayas. It caused flooding and landslides in Calabarzon, Western Visayas, and Eastern Visayas.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2127201/ts-ramil-leaves-7-dead-prompts-evacuation-of-22000-people
Because it’s been back-to-back disasters, my team sent out emails, Slack, and messages to check on everybody. There were a few days where I was really concerned about some of my people.
Please, check on your people. Make sure they’re okay.
Here’s the crazy part to me as an employer.
Everyone on my team is working like normal. Even those who were most heavily affected by the earthquake.
Their homes were affected.
Their families were affected.
Their sleep was affected.
Their mental health was affected.
And yet, they got right back to work.
The Filipino people are resilient. They bounce back. They’re strong.
And they’re so darn good.
John