Magnitude 6 quake jolts Lanao province
A strong earthquake measuring magnitude 6 rocked parts of Mindanao early yesterday, damaging several structures, including a portion of the national highway.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the quake struck at 5:21 a.m. and was located some 14 kilometers northwest of Wao, Lanao del Sur.
It was felt at Intensity 7 – classified as destructive – in Wao and Kalilangan, Bukidnon; and Intensity 4 (moderately strong) in Cagayan de Oro City; Cotabato City; Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental; Matalam, North Cotabato and Davao City.
The tremor was also felt at Intensity 3 in Kabacan, North Cotabato; Maramag, Quezon, Don Carlos, Bukidnon; Lebak, Sultan Kudarat; Intensity 2 in Kidapawan City, Koronadal City; and Intensity 1 in Camiguin, Misamis Oriental.
Another earthquake struck Itogon town in Benguet early yesterday, measuring magnitude 2.3.
Phivolcs director Renato Solidum warned residents near the epicenter of the quake against possible aftershocks which could collapse already damaged buildings.
Disaster officials said the tremor damaged at least 30 houses in the villages of West Kili-kili, Extension Poblacion, Serran, Panang and Balatin in Wao.
The Panang National High School and two mosques in Wao were also damaged.
There was a crack on the highway in Barangay Panang in Wao, which was about four inches wide with a depth of 12 inches.
“Residents are really shocked with regard to the calamity that happened. So they are on standby (at) the highway,” provincial disaster official Francis Garcia said.
Garcia said the people went back to their homes after the earthquake, except for some whose houses were damaged.
Patients were evacuated outside a district hospital as a precaution, Garcia added.
Panang barangay chairman Arsenio delos Reyes said Jorie Sagon was hurt when a hollow block fell on her right foot during the tremor.
The municipal building of the town of Kalilangan was also damaged, officials said.
Provincial information of- ficer Jennie Tamano said the quake caused power outages all over the province. Electricity was restored later in the morning.
Social Welfare and Development Secretary Judy Taguiwalo has ordered the department’s regional office to monitor the situation of families affected by the earthquake in Lanao del Sur.
The tremor came days after a trio of strong earthquakes damaged buildings and caused panicked tourists to flee Mabini, a resort town in Batangas.
“Since the (Mabini) quake, our people became more aware to duck, (take) cover and hold,” said Kristofferson Vidad, science research assistant of the Phivolcs, referring to its standard advice on surviving quakes.
Last Saturday, two quakes of magnitudes 6 and 5.6 jolted parts of Batangas and nearby areas, including Metro Manila. The magnitude 6 tremor continues to generate aftershocks, which Phivolcs described as an “earthquake swarm” that could last for days or weeks.
Batangas was first hit by a magnitude 5.5 quake last April 4 that was also felt in other parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila.
An earthquake swarm was also reported in Davao Oriental following a magnitude 5.6 quake last Monday.
As of yesterday afternoon, at least 14 aftershocks were recorded from the magnitude 6 quake in Lanao del Sur.
In Batangas, less than 10 aftershocks were detected as of yesterday afternoon.
Phivolcs explained Batangas is among the seismically active areas in the country. Many small to large magnitude earthquakes were detected in the province in past several years, generated by the Manila Trench and Lubang Fault.
Phivolcs added the continued tremors in the province could not trigger the eruption of Taal Volcano, which is located approximately 30 kilometers from Mabini, Batangas, the epicenter of the two strong tremors last Saturday.
The Philippines lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where about 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes and 81 percent of the world’s largest earthquakes occur.