PBBM orders 24/7 rescue, relief operations
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake was recorded in Zambales yesterday afternoon, followed by a fresh magnitude 5.8 tectonic tremor that struck the waters off Davao Oriental less than an hour later.
The Zambales tremor, which was also felt in parts of Metro Manila, was recorded at 5:32 p.m. and was possibly caused by a movement along the Manila Trench, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
Yesterday’s Davao Oriental quake, logged at 6:27 p.m., had an epicenter spotted 62 kilometers southeast of Manay town that was still reeling from the magnitudes 7.4 and 6.7 tremors that hit the area within hours of each other on Friday.
Phivolcs said the recent quakes in the past two weeks were all not related to each other.
The Cebu tremor on Sept. 30 that killed 75 people was triggered by the Bogo Bay Fault, while the La Union quake on Oct. 9 was caused by the Philippine Fault.
On Friday, the magnitude 7.4 Manay quake was generated by movements along the Philippine Trench, while the magnitude 6.7 was tectonic.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered government agencies to sustain rescue and relief operations in areas hit by the earthquakes that struck Davao Oriental, which left at least eight people dead.
“The President’s paramount concern is the safety and well-being of our people in the earthquake-struck areas. On the instructions of the President, all concerned frontline agencies were tasked to work round the clock to provide rescue and relief operations,” Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Dave Gomez said in a statement.
Key Cabinet officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Education (DepEd), and the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) conducted an on-site inspection in Davao Oriental on Saturday.
DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, along with DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara, and MinDA Chairperson Leo Magno, visited affected communities to check on the effects of the tremors on infrastructure, such as roads and school buildings.
“We are here upon the directive of the President because he really wants to provide the fastest relief as fast as we can,” Dizon said.
Based on the initial assessment of DPWH, all national roads in the Davao Region remain passable, although one local road sustained damage due to landslides triggered by the tremors.
The DPWH said it has mobilized quick response teams to assist in clearing operations and is conducting a detailed evaluation of public structures, including hospitals and school buildings.
Dazed survivors of the earthquakes in Mindanao awoke on Saturday to scenes of devastation, after hundreds of aftershocks rocked the region overnight.
Many coastal residents had slept outdoors, fearful of being crushed to death by aftershocks.
In Manay, people were removing debris and sweeping up broken glass from homes and other buildings on Saturday.
“Our small house and our small store were destroyed,” resident Ven Lupogan said. “We have nowhere to sleep. There’s no electricity. We have nothing to eat.”
“Most likely housing repair needs,” Civil Defense Office deputy administrator Rafaelito Alejandro said when asked about the main long-term needs of quake survivors.
Patients lay on beds outside waiting for treatment after having been wheeled out on Friday because government engineers said the building had been structurally compromised.
Earthquakes are a near-daily occurrence in the Philippines, which is situated on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin. With AFP
