By CESAR JOLITO III
Some infrastructure in Negros Occidental’s Sipalay City suffered minor cracks from the magnitude 5.1 earthquake that struck the city on Tuesday morning, October 7.
The Sipalay City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) observed minor damages in several establishments, such as the Gil Montilla National High School, market stalls in Barangay Nabulao, the People’s Hall and Health Center in Barangay Mambaroto, the Sangguniang Kabataan building in Barangay Mariculum, and Agripino Alvarez Elementary School following the conduct of a Rapid Structural Assessment and Needs Analysis tests.
“We prioritized checking the structural integrity of educational institutions and government facilities to ensure the safety of students, employees and residents,” CDRRMC coordinator Dionilo Bogtae said.
Warning signages have been installed in areas identified as unsafe or hazardous, while coordination with national and regional agencies is underway for an urgent structural integrity inspection of the Gil Montilla National High School main building.
Bogtae added that assessments are ongoing in other barangays with reported minor damages as the city strengthens post-earthquake safety protocols and community awareness measures.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported two tremors — a magnitude 3.5 quake at 5:58 a.m., followed by the magnitude 5.1 quake at 8:04 a.m. — in Sipalay on Tuesday.
Phivolcs said the recent tremors in Negros originated from a local fault system, separate from the geological structures responsible for the 6.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Cebu province on September 30./CJ, WDJ