Rains, aftershocks haunt southern Philippines

MANILA, Philippines—As if earthquakes were not enough, incessant bad weather has been wreaking havoc in provinces in the Visayas, Mindanao and the Bicol region the past four days, killing two, injuring six and causing the evacuation of 569 people.

In several Negros Oriental towns, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has raised geohazard warnings amid rains and continuing aftershocks following the magnitude-6.9 earthquake that struck the province on February 6.

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje urged local government units and communities to take precautions as the twin hazards could trigger more landslides.

“Rain as well as earth tremors, whether these may be light or moderate, must be taken seriously. Rain could weaken the soil, while tremors could produce slope instability, tension cracks and fractures that could enhance the vulnerability of areas to landslides,” Paje said.

The warning came a week after the magnitude-6.9 quake rocked the province, killing over 70 people, and burying towns and damaging roads. Yesterday, the weather bureau warned of widespread rains in the province due to a low pressure area in Mindanao.

Highly susceptible
Five barangays (villages) in Guihulngan City are highly susceptible to rain-induced landslides, the DENR said. These are Humayhumay, Imelda, Mabunga, Sandayao and Tacpao.  Barangay Binobohan, on the other hand, has moderate to high susceptibility.

Barangays with moderate susceptibility include Bakid, Banwaque, Calamba, Calupa-an, Linantuyan, Mabunga, Maniak, Plagatasanon, Planas, Trinidad and Villegas.

In La Libertad, another municipality hard hit by the earthquake, nine barangays were assessed to have high-landslide susceptibility.  These are Aniniaw, Aya, Biga-a, Guihob, Kansumandig, Mambutod, Managondong, Pangca and Pitogo, with Mandapaton having moderate to high susceptibility.

In Abuyog town, Leyte, nonstop rains triggered floods and in Southern Leyte landslides rendered a major highway impassable for a few hours.

The floods in 10 barangays in Abuyog rose two meters after three rivers—Bito, Tayog and Higasaan—overflowed following continuous rains, said Rodolfo Cabias, Abuyog municipal disaster operations officer.

Disaster teams
“Our disaster teams are now going to these villages to assess the situation and to find out how many families were affected,” Cabias said.

He said minor landslides occurred in barangays Taduk, Paguite, Catipunan and Tinalian, also in Abuyog. No one was reported hurt.

In Southern Leyte, a portion of the Maharlika highway in Sogod town was rendered impassable Thursday morning after a portion Mt. Panjongon was eroded by the rains.

Erosion along highway
Manolo Rojas, assistant district engineer of the Department of Public Works and Highways Southern Leyte Engineering District, said the soil erosion occurred along the highway in Barangay Kahupian.
Rojas said heavy equipment were deployed to clear the road.

Another landslide occurred along the highway in Mahaplag, Leyte, near the boundary with Southern Leyte.
In Mindanao, in Lanao del Norte province, on Thursday 96 families were evacuated from their homes after incessant rains flooded five villages and overflowed a river, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported.

The families, composed of 429 individuals, were taken to three evacuation centers in Kauswagan town after downpours triggered by a low pressure area caused the Lapayan River to spill into five barangays: Kawit Oriental, Lapayan, Tugar, Tacub and Libertad, the disaster agency said.

Three houses were damaged in the town and the highway connecting Kauswagan to Bacolod City was flooded and rendered impassable on Wednesday, but the floodwaters receded at 7:30 p.m., the NDRRMC said.

In a report issued by NDRRMC Executive Director Benito Ramos, the agency said a total of 569 persons were displaced by floods, including 120 in Jabonga town in Agusan del Norte province after the water level in Lake Mainit rose.

The NDRRMC also said floods in three barangays in Panabo City in Davao del Norte province on Feb. 14 destroyed P156,700 in crops, livestock and infrastructure.

Wall collapses
In Davao City, six persons were injured when a wall collapsed on them after rains softened its foundation.
Gerry Pedrico, chief of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration in southern Mindanao, said a series of low pressure areas had been bringing rains to Mindanao the past several days.

On Monday alone, Pedrico said, the low pressure area dumped 63.8 millimeters of rains on parts of Mindanao. Low-lying areas of the city were flooded since Monday.
“This is above normal,” he said.

In Sta. Maria, Davao del Sur, rains caused the Buca River to breach its banks and destroy a portion of the road to several villages, according to the provincial disaster risk management council.

Roderick Milana, disaster council chief, said small landslides were reported in remote villages.

No electricity
At least five barangays have had no power for two weeks now since floods felled power lines, according to Sta. Maria Mayor Mila Cabanero.

In Bicol, in Camarines Sur, two deaths were reported as a result of the bad weather.

Provincial civil defense officials said 80-year-old Agripina Milante drowned in floods in Lagonoy town. Lea Alarcio, 18, of Buhi, was the first fatality reported in the province.

Albay Governor Joey Salceda suspended classes in all levels because of the weather. He said rains of up to 18 mm per hour were expected in Albay.

Disaster council officials reported rains of 7.5 mm per hour since Sunday.

Local disaster councils in Albay’s 15 towns and three cities were advised to go on high alert and to prepare residents of low-lying and landslide-prone areas for possible evacuation.—Kristine L. Alave, DJ Yap in Manila; Jani Arnaiz and Joey Gabieta, Inquirer Visayas; Dennis Santos, Orlando Dinoy and Ryan Rosauro, Inquirer Mindanao; and Mar S. Arguelles, Inquirer Southern Luzon

Philippine Earthquake

Quake kills 52 in Negros Oriental

DUMAGUETE CITY—At least 52 people were killed when a 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit Negros and Cebu provinces shortly before noon Monday, causing landslides and huge cracks on highways, and violently shaking buildings, officials said.

A three-story building collapsed, while seven bridges were rendered impassable, they said.

In Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental, at least 29 people were feared dead following a landslide in Barangay (village) Planas, Mayor Ernesto Reyes said in a phone interview. He said there could be more fatalities in other barangays.

“They were buried in 30 feet (10 meters) of soil. If you had been buried from noon until now (6 p.m.), I don’t expect you to be alive,” Reyes said.

Rescuers dug with picks and shovels trying to reach dozens of people trapped under houses that collapsed, according to The Associated Press (AP).

Ten others died due to a landslide at the Guihulngan national road, Reyes said.
Governor Roel Degamo said a 9-year-old girl,  Bernadette Raidan, died when a wall collapsed in Tayasan town.

Twelve other fatalities were listed by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Eight were from Guihulngan, one each from Jimalalud and Bindoy towns, and two from Tayasan.
The earthquake, which struck at 11:49 a.m., was located 5 kilometers northwest of Tayasan town in Negros Oriental, and was tectonic in origin. It had a depth of 10 km. The US Geological Survey placed the magnitude at 6.7.

In Manila, Malacañang urged the people affected by the earthquake to remain watchful and calm, and to cooperate with the authorities “while the threat of immediate dangers appears to have passed.”

President Benigno Aquino III ordered the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to assess and collate the extent of the damage and casualties, and to provide the necessary interventions, his spokesperson, Edwin Lacierda, said in a statement.

Tsunami warning
The temblor also prompted a tsunami warning from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), alerting residents near the coastal areas of Negros and Cebu to watch for unusual waves but not requiring any evacuation.

The alert was canceled after no further reports of unusual sea level changes were received after the two-hour extended observation period.

But more aftershocks could be expected in the next few weeks in areas near the epicenter, according to Ishmael Narag, officer in charge of the Phivolcs’ seismology division. As of 1 p.m. Monday, Phivolcs had recorded 16 aftershocks.

The quake triggered another landslide in the mountain village of Solongon in La Libertad town, also in Negros Oriental. An unknown number of people were trapped, said Inspector Eric Arrol Besario, the town police chief.

“We’re now getting shovels and chainsaws to start a rescue because there were people trapped inside. Some of them were yelling for help earlier,” Besario told AP by phone. Three key bridges in the town cracked and were no longer passable, he said.

The earthquake sent shoppers scrambling under tables and workers and students rushing out of their buildings in cities of Negros and Cebu.

Classes in all public and private schools in Negros Oriental were suspended, while businesses in Dumaguete City were closed.

Building cracks
In Negros Occidental, the earthquake caused cracks in the city halls of Sagay and Cadiz, and the city hospital and gymnasium of Himamaylan.

Big waves damaged two houses and an ambulance fell on its side in Barangay Martilu, La Libertad, according to Mayor Lawrence Limkaichong. Two houses were also reported damaged in the town of Jimalalud, some 100 kilometers north of Dumaguete.

Huge waves washed out five bamboo and wooden cottages from a beach resort in La Libertad, but there were no reports of injuries, said Superintendent Ernesto Tagle. Elsewhere along the coast, people rushed out of schools, malls and offices.

Two people died in another town close to the epicenter, Tayasan, including a child when a concrete fence of a house collapsed, said Benito Ramos, head of the Office of Civil Defense.

Church wall collapse
Another child was killed in a church when a wall collapsed during a funeral in Negros Oriental’s Jimalalud town, Mayor Reynaldo Tuanda said.

Tayasan police officer Alfred Vicente Silvosa told AP by phone that aftershocks were preventing people from returning to their homes.

“We are outside, at the town plaza. We cannot inspect buildings yet because it’s dangerous,” Silvosa said. “I felt the building shaking, so I rushed out of the building. Our computers, shelves, plates, the cupboards, water dispenser all fell.”

A three-story office building also collapsed in La Libertad, but occupants escaped.

Scared cops
The Negros Oriental police chief, Edward Carranza, said police rushed out of his building when the quake struck. “All my personnel ran out fearing our building would collapse,” he said.

“Now it’s shaking again,” he said as an aftershock hit. “My keychain is dancing.”

In Negros Occidental, Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia ordered the suspension of work and classes in all public and private offices and institutions. He, however, directed the city’s disaster team to be on alert and to inspect buildings for cracks.

In Iloilo City, employees and students rushed out of offices and classrooms as buildings swayed. Classes in the city and province were suspended in anticipation of aftershocks. Government employees were sent home in the afternoon.

A blackout occurred in the city, but power was normalized at 3:45 p.m.

The earthquake was slightly felt in Boracay Island and a few Mindanao and Luzon provinces.

Medical attention
Guihulngan Mayor Reyes said about 100 people were injured and brought for treatment to Guihulngan District Hospital and neighboring district hospitals.

Reyes said Guihulngan had about 100 patients who are in need of immediate medical attention. “We need to transport these patients to Bacolod, Cebu or Dumaguete but our roads and bridges are impassable,” he said.

Food and medicines were waiting in the provincial capital of Dumaguete, but the aid could not reach the villages in need because of damaged roads and bridges.

“There is a Canadian and an Indian doctor who are here for an earlier scheduled medical mission and it’s a good thing they are helping us,” Reyes said. “They have some medicines with them but that may not be enough.”

All bridges and roads leading to the north and south of the city were damaged, leaving it isolated, he said. These included the bridges of Martilo in La Libertad, Pangaluan in Jimalalud town, and Tinayonan in Guihulngan.

Many buildings were damaged, he said. “The Landbank building is leaning on one side while a portion of our public market collapsed.”

Cracks appeared along sections of the national highway and on public and private buildings, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said in a statement.

Series of quakes
The first earthquake occurred at 11:49 a.m. with a magnitude of 6.8 and a depth of 20 km. The epicenter was located 72 km north of Dumaguete, 74 km west-northwest of Tagbilaran City and 80 km west-southwest of Cebu.

A second tremor hit various areas in the Visayas at 12:03 p.m. at a depth of 34.8 km. The epicenter was located 62 km north of Dumaguete, 69 km west-northwest of Tagbilaran and 84 km southwest of Cebu.

Still, a third tremor was felt at 12:20 p.m. with a magnitude of 4.8 and a depth of 34.8 km. The epicenter was located 71 km south-southeast of Bacolod City, 84 km west-southwest of Cebu and 84 km north of Dumaguete City.

Bobby Cañete of the local Phivolcs station in Palo town in Leyte said that the series of earthquakes felt in the region was caused by the movement of the Philippine Sea Plate diving down under eastern Philippines along the Philippine Trench. With reports from Jhunnex Napallacan, Carla Gomez and Nestor Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas; Christine O. Avendaño and Leila B. Salaverria in Manila; and AP

Philippine Earthquake

5.9 quake shakes Samar, aftershocks continue till Sunday early morning

MANILA, Philippines—A 5.9 magnitude earthquake jolted Samar island Saturday evening with aftershocks felt until early Sunday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

At 3:29 a.m., the strongest at 5.0 magnitude was registered 62 kilometers southeast of San Policarpio in Eastern Samar, according to the latest Phivolcs bulletin.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injury from the offshore quake that struck 85 kilometers northeast of San Policarpio in Eastern Samar at 9:09 p.m. Saturday at a shallow depth of 19 kilometers.

The tremor was felt at Intensity IV in Gamay, Northern Samar; Intensity III in San Policarpio and Oras, Eastern Samar; Catbalogan, Samar; Palo, Tacloban and Tolosa, Leyte; and Intensity II in Cataingan, Masbate.

The Philippines sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where continental plates collide causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

Philippine Earthquake

5.9 quake shakes Samar

MANILA, Philippines—A 5.9 magnitude earthquake jolted Samar island Saturday evening, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.

There was no immediate reports of damage or injury from the offshore quake that struck 85 kilometers northeast of San Policarpio in Eastern Samar. It hit at a shallow depth of 19 kilometers.

The tremor was felt at Intensity IV in Gamay, Northern Samar; Intensity III in San Policarpio and Oras, Eastern Samar; Catbalogan, Samar; Palo, Tacloban and Tolosa, Leyte; and Intensity II in Cataingan, Masbate.

At least four aftershocks were recorded by Phivolcs with magnitudes ranging from 3.7 to 5.0.

The Philippines sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where continental plates collide causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

Philippine Earthquake