By CESAR JOLITO III
Several areas across the Negros Island Region (NIR) experienced mild tremors following a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Manay town in Davao Oriental at 9:43 a.m. yesterday, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD)-NIR.
OCD-NIR Director Donato Sermeno III confirmed that reports of light shaking were felt from parts of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental.
Residents in the cities of Himamaylan and Sipalay reported Intensity 1 shaking, while slight movement was also felt in Cauayan town.
In Negros Oriental, Dumaguete City and Sibulan town experienced Intensity 2 tremors based on Phivolcs Earthquake Information No. 3.
Sermeno added that their own office, located on the roof deck of a hotel in Bacolod City, felt mild tremors between Intensities 1 and 2, prompting personnel to temporarily evacuate as a precautionary measure.
Light shaking was also reported in Siquijor province, though no damage or injuries were recorded as of this writing.
Authorities are continuing to monitor aftershocks and coordinate with local disaster risk reduction offices across NIR to ensure the safety of communities.
OCD-NIR also advised the public to remain calm, stay alert for official updates, and review their family emergency preparedness plans.
Phivolcs has not issued a tsunami warning following the offshore quake.
Alert for aftershocks
Residents are urged to stay alert for strong aftershocks following the magnitude 7.4 offshore earthquake that struck Davao Oriental yesterday.
“So far, the strongest aftershock we’ve recorded is magnitude 5.8. We remind everyone to practice ‘duck, cover and hold’ during tremors,” Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol said.
Bacolcol advised residents to evacuate buildings immediately after a strong quake and avoid returning to structurally compromised structures.
He noted that aftershocks could reach up to one magnitude lower than the main quake — meaning the strongest possible aftershock could be magnitude 6.4.
According to Bacolcol, the powerful quake originated from the Philippine Trench, a seismically active area.
“Earthquakes are normal occurrences because of active faults and trenches. In fact, a magnitude 7.4 quake also hit Surigao del Sur in December 2023,” he said.
He clarified that the Davao Oriental tremor is not connected to the recent Cebu earthquake that occurred on September 30.
Bacolcol said the quake caused minimal damage as it was offshore, and no destructive tsunami was recorded./CJ, WDJ