Magnitude 5.5 quake rocks Quezon Province

A MAGNITUDE 5.5 quake rocked Quezon province on Thursday morning, which was also felt in parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded the epicenter at 42 kilometers northeast of Jomalig, Quezon at 4:52 a.m. It was tectonic in origin and had a shallow depth of 7 kilometers.

Intensity 4 was felt in Guinayangan, Quezon; Intensity 2 in Marikina City, Navatos City and Quezon City; and Intensity 1 in Muntinlupa City. It was also felt in parts of Pampanga and other provinces.

Phivolcs Officer in Charge Renato Solidum Jr. was quick to dispel fears the tremor might generate a tsunami.

“Hindi sapat ang enerhiya o magnitude ng lindol na mag- trigger ng

paggalaw ng tubig ( The energy or magnitude was not strong enough to trigger a tsunami),” Solidum told ABS- CBN’s “Umagang Kay Ganda.”

But had the quake occurred on land, it could have caused minor infrastructure damage, Solidum said.

The state seismology chief also denied that the latest quake is connected to the string of tremors in Mindanao last month.

“Wala po silang kaugnayan. Nagkataon lang na nagkakaroon ng mga paglindol sa iba’t ibang dako sa Pilipinas. Hindi magkadugtong itong mga faults na gumalaw so wala po silang triggering effect (They have no relationship. The earthquakes in different parts of the country were coincidental. The faults are not connected, so they have no triggering effect),” Solidum said.

Meanwhile, the government is planning to conduct more nationwide earthquake drills following the series of strong tremors that struck parts of Mindanao last month, Malacañang said on Thursday.

Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo in a statement said the Department of National Defense (DND) made the recommendation during Cabinet meeting in Malacañang on Wednesday to raise awareness and prepare the public for future disasters.