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Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Text on volcano eruption sends Nabunturan residents packing
By Ben O. Tesiorna
TEXT messages circulated through mobile phones in the past two days about a volcano in Barangay Bukal, Nabunturan, Compostela Valley that supposedly will erupt soon sent more than 100 families from two barangays in this town to evacuation centers.
The provincial government had to bring in officials from the Office of Civil Defense and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology in the wee hours of the morning to convince fearful residents that there is no volcano in the province of Nabunturan.
The text message read that the advisory is from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismoslogy (Phivolcs) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
The panic level increased after Sunday's quake measured at intensity 5 and with an epicenter in Nabunturan, followed by two aftershocks last Monday afternoon.
Families who sought refuge at Nabunturan National Comprehensive High School in the town center were from barangays Bukal and Mainit.
Gov. Jose Caballero personally invited officials from Phivolcs and the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) early Tuesday morning to explain the normal occurrence of aftershocks and to assure his constituents that no volcanic eruption will happen.
"Natural lang ho na naay mga aftershocks inig human sa usa ka kusog na linog. Apan amo kamong gipahibalo na ang origin sa linog dili volcanic apan tectonic (A tectonic earthquake is the result of movements on the fault lines of the earth while a volcanic earthquake is the result of seismic activities within a volcano)," Ferdinand Taglucop of Phivolcs told the evacuees.
"But there can be no volcanic activities in Nabunturan because there is no volcano there," Taglucop stressed.
Taglucop assured that Mt. Angelo located in Barangay Bukal is not a volcano, as many people would tend to believe.
As a result of the explanation made by the Phivolcs officials, residents have gone back to their homes.
Gov. Caballero requested Phivolcs and OCD to conduct information drive in the two barangays to educate residents and to prevent unnecessary evacuations in the future.
The intensity of Sunday's quake registered 3 at the Richter scale in Davao City. Strongest was at Nabunturan, which registered at 5.
It was learned that Nabunturan lies along the Philippine Fault Zone. Taglucop said they expect more aftershocks to happen in the next few days, weeks or even months.
No substantial damage was reported in the tremors that hit Nabunturan.
Five municipalities were without electricity last Sunday due to the earthquake. As of Tuesday morning, the two barangays still had no electricity.
(May 19, 2004 issue)
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