By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez has asked the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) to investigate the alleged tremors felt in the city’s Barangay 14 last week.

Based on a copy of the letter dated August 26 sent by Benitez to MGB Region 6 director Raul Laput, residents living in barangays 10 and 14 felt a “strong shaking” on August 24 and 25.

Both villages are upland areas of the city.

He also sent a separate letter to Phivolcs to look into the possibility that there may be a new fault line in the area.

It is also being suspected that the tremors were related to Mt. Mandalagan.

According to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program, Mt. Mandalagan is part of the Mandalagan volcanic complex in northern Negros island straddling the areas of cities of Silay, Victorias and Cadiz.

The mountain is actually a potentially-active stratovolcano with an elevation of 1,885 meters or 6,184 feet.

Mt. Mandalagan’s last eruption was during the Holocene-period or about 11,700 years ago.

According to Benitez, the earthquake felt in the area had damaged a three-story building at the Negros Occidental National Science High School.

The mayor added that the request to “investigate, inspect and assess the subject building at the soonest possible time” is for the “safety, security and peace of mind of the school officials, students and parents.”

He said that the tremors on August 25 caused minimal cracks on the walls of 24 classrooms of the school.

The cracks seen on August 24 were old cracks, but new ones were detected the day after, he pointed out.

Classes were suspended on August 24 to 25 while they were determining the cause of the tremors.

The city government reported tremors felt in its two barangays at around 4:00 p.m. on August 24 and around 1:00 p.m. on August 25.
PhivolcS which maintains a seismic station in neighboring Cadiz City has not recorded any tremors at the time./DGB, WDJ