A magnitude 5.2 earthquake hit Masbate on Wednesday, an aftershock of the 6.6 temblor that hit the province on Tuesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.
The tectonic aftershock struck 12 km southeast of the municipality of Cataingan at 5:50 a.m., with a depth of 6 km. The first earthquake’s epicenter was at 7 km southeast of Cataingan and had a depth of 21 km.
There were no reported intensities from the magnitude 5.2 quake, but Phivolcs said aftershocks are still expected.
This developed as Malacanang said the government will extend further assistance to areas hit by the earthquake.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said food packs, water and blankets will be delivered to the victims of the earthquake, as the government will also deploy personnel to ensure that social distancing rules are followed in evacuation centers.
Residents living near a coastal area in Cataingan have fled their homes after the earthquake caused the ground to sink in the area, Mayor Felipe Cabataña said Wednesday.
The sinking ground is located near a faultline in Barangay Matayum, he said.
“There’s phenomena here we can’t understand. There’s a place on a faultline, Barangay Matayum, where a sitio there near the sea seems to have sunk, as the waters have reached the houses. It’s apparent that the land collapsed there,” the mayor told ABS-CBN Teleradyo in Filipino.
Another area showed cracks or fissures on the ground, Cabataña added.
Subsidence could explain the ground’s sudden sinking, Phivolcs chief Renato Solidum said, noting the same thing happened in 2003. He noted the sand underneath the earth gets compacted during a quake, leading to the ground to drop.
Solidum said the mayor’s decision to evacuate the residents was a good call. “The water will not leave that place now,” he said.
Malacañang reminded Masbate residents affected by the earthquake to observe social distancing in evacuation centers even though the province has relatively few cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“One thing going for Masbate is that they have very low cases of COVID-19, but nonetheless, they should not be too complacent; even if they will be staying in temporary shelters, they have to observe social distancing,” Roque told CNN Philippines in an interview.
“Whatever help that Masbate needs is forthcoming. We have a direct line already with the governor, as well as with the mayor of Cataingan. So the coordination effort to deliver what is needed by the residents of Cataingan is in full blast.” Vito Barcelo
Cabataña appealed to the national government to provide them with tents for residents currently staying in schools converted into evacuation centers to ensure that social distancing will still be observed.
He also appealed to the Palace for funds to help the affected residents since its calamity fund had been used for COVID-19 response.
Meanwhile, Roque said he does not know whether President Rodrigo Duterte would be able to visit the quake victims given restrictions on his movement.
“The President would want to go. I don’t know if he can actually go because of restrictions in his movement right now but whatever help that Masbate needs is forthcoming,” he said.
Earlier, Roque said Duterte’s possible visit to Masbate would depend on whether his close-in security would allow him to push through.
“I am very sure that the President wants to go and perhaps, he would even argue with PSG if he would be prohibited,” he said in a virtual Palace briefing on Tuesday.
A retired police colonel was killed and more than 40 others were injured when the earthquake rocked the town of Cataingan. Reports showed that several houses collapsed, power lines were toppled, and roads and infrastructure were damaged. With PNA