By JEN BAYLON

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake jolted the area off Negros Occidental’s Sipalay City at 8:33 a.m. on Saturday, May 17, followed by more than 20 aftershocks, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.

The quake’s epicenter was located 46 kilometers northwest of Sipalay at a shallow depth of five to 10 kilometers, with a tectonic origin beneath the Sulu Sea.

Initial reports had placed the magnitude at 5.2, but this was later revised to 5.1 after updated data from Phivolcs’ monitoring equipment.

The strongest aftershock, measuring magnitude 4.1, occurred at 11:23 a.m. on the same day.

Other aftershocks ranged from magnitude 1.7 to 3.9.

The earthquake was felt at varying intensities across several towns and cities in Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Antique, Aklan, Iloilo, and Cebu.

Intensity 4 shaking was reported in Sipalay, and the towns of Cauayan and Candoni in Negros Occidental.

Intensity 3 was felt in the cities of Silay, Bago, Kabankalan, and Himamaylan, as well as the towns of La Castellana, Pontevedra, Pulupandan, and Valladolid; and Negros Oriental’s Bayawan City.

Intensities 2 and 1 were recorded in other nearby areas, including capital Bacolod City, Dumaguete City, and Cebu province’s Carcar town.

Despite the strong shaking, Phivolcs noted that no significant damage was expected from the quake and its aftershocks.

Residents were advised to remain alert for possible further tremors, but no tsunami risk was identified given the earthquake’s magnitude and depth./JB, WDJ