Various news portals in the Philippines, including GMA Online News, Philippine Daily Inquirer, and Tribune.ph.net, have reported on the forecast regarding the potential impact of the “Big One” — a possible 7.2 magnitude earthquake that could affect the National Capital Region.
These news sites reported on Mav Gonzales’ segment on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” that Dr. Teresito Bacolcol, the director of PHIVOLCS, estimated the death toll from the upcoming earthquake, referred to as “the Big One,” to be around 51,500.
This figure includes approximately 33,500 deaths from the quake itself and an additional 18,000 deaths expected from fires caused by the disaster. Furthermore, the agency anticipates around 100,000 injuries due to the calamity.
Is this yet another colossal devastation set to crush the country? The nation has just crawled back to normalcy after the stigma of COVID-19, has risen from the devastating aftermath of typhoons and floodings, and is currently struggling with political differences. Why would there be another?
But this isn’t just about the Philippines, which is currently wailing with the astounding claims of betrayal where its former president, Rodrigo Duterte, has been illegally arrested and handed over to a foreign court. This arrest has sparked worldwide reactions and united millions of supporters who admired his advocacy during his time in office.
On March 28, 2025, news portals announced a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city with a population of 1.2 million.
The earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of approximately 10 kilometers, causing intense shaking that devastated the region and was felt as far away as Bangkok, Thailand.
The powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake caused widespread devastation, resulting in significant fatalities, injuries, and extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure within Myanmar.
In Thailand, particularly Bangkok, buildings collapsed, and casualties were reported due to seismic waves traveling across the region. This event created a regional humanitarian crisis, requiring international aid responses from many nations.
Aside from these, there have been recent and repeated volcanic eruptions in southwestern Iceland, particularly in the Reykjanes Peninsula near the town of Grindavik.
In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a fireball that erupted from a burst gas pipeline soared into the sky outside Malaysia’s largest city and injured 145 people as it burned for several hours before being put out.
Then, there was a series of 14 destructive wildfires that impacted the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area and San Diego in California, United States, from January 7 to 31, 2025.
Why are large-scale global disasters occurring in such quick succession? The disasters mentioned above are just a few examples, not even including the current devastation in war-torn countries.
Are we approaching what non-Christians refer to as doomsday or the modern apocalypse? Or the symbolic Doomsday Clock representing the likelihood of a human-made global catastrophe?
What do Christians say about this? What are their opinions? And you, as the reader, what is your perception of these horrible catastrophes ravaging several parts of the world?
Could nuclear warfare obliterate civilization? Could catastrophic seismic events render the planet uninhabitable? Could a global pandemic extinguish humanity? Could escalating environmental disasters and societal breakdowns trigger a collapse of society?
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤 —𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙘 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙗𝙚.
Because when Jesus’ disciples asked Him about these things as they sat upon the Mount of Olives, He answered, “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, be not troubled for all these things must come to pass, but this is not the end yet.”
“For nations shall rise against nations, and kingdoms against kingdoms; and there shall be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in different places, but these are just the beginning of sorrows.” (𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘸 24:6-8)
So, if it’s not the war, famine, and calamities, what could ultimately lead to the end of the world?
Jesus answers this in Matthew 24:14. It says, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚.”
Marilyn Lucero, CPUC Communication Department