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Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Mild quake jolts eastern Mindanao
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- A mild earthquake struck the city and most of the eastern part of Mindanao Monday afternoon.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the mild tremor was tectonic in origin and was strongly felt at its epicenter located in the Miangas Island of Indonesia.
The tremor, felt at 2:37 p.m. Monday, had a magnitude of 5.7 and was located 185 kilometers south and 55 degrees east of General Santos City.
Intensity 2 was felt in Davao City and the towns of Nabunturan in Compostela Valley and Caraga, Boston, Taragona and Cateel in Davao Oriental. It was Intensity 1 in General Santos City.
The volcanology institute said the public should always be alert amid reports that another strong temblor may hit Metro Manila and neighboring provinces.
Phivolcs research specialist Ric Fangao said with or without any advisory, the people should not panic but remain calm but vigilant because earthquakes might occur anytime and anywhere especially now that movement along the Manila trench is very active.
"We do not stop studying and monitoring the situation. We will inform the public every time we find a new development," said Fangao, who did not elaborate on the status of their study.
Fangao said they have recorded several aftershocks after the Magnitude 6.2 tremor jolted Metro Manila and nearby provinces last Friday.
The quake lasted for a minute.
Meanwhile, the Senate Engineering Services discovered cracks caused by the Friday earthquake in the offices of Senate Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan in the sixth floor and the office of Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr. in the fifth floor.
Engr. Jun Tabucana said the cracks measured 3.2 meters in height and two inches in width.
He said they would prepare a damage report to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The Senate is in the Government Service Insurance System building.
Tabucana said the offices of the two senators are located in the so-called seismic joint area or in an area between buildings that usually sway every time there is an earthquake.
Pangilinan has asked the DPWH to check if there are other government offices that were affected by the earthquake.
Roberto Macasil, chief of Senate Building Maintenance office, assured the damages is no cause for alarm since the beams, slabs and columns of the buildings were not destroyed. (JPM/JFF)
(October 12, 2004 issue)
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