Strong quake hits Batangas, rattles Luzon
Credit to Author: Romina Cabrera| Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0800
MANILA, Philippines — A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Batangas yesterday morning, with its impact felt in Metro Manila and parts of Northern Luzon. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the quake was monitored 11 kilometers south of Calatagan in Batangas province at 10:19 a.m. It was tectonic in nature and had a depth of 108 kilometers. The state agency warned of aftershocks.
According to Phivolcs, the intensity was not strong, but it was felt over a larger area due to the depth of the quake’s focus in the Manila Trench.
The possibility of a tsunami was ruled out.
Calatagan police chief Emil Mendoza said he and his staff rushed outside following the earthquake.
“It was a bit strong. We had to run outside,” Mendoza told Agence France Presse.
While there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, disaster authorities were deployed to assess the earthquake’s impact, Mendoza said.
Calatagan disaster officer Ronald Torres said the quake lasted between 30 seconds and a minute.
The quake was also felt at Shangri-La The Fort in Taguig, where President Marcos witnessed the launching of the export development plan.
After a media interview, officials told Marcos that an earthquake had just taken place. The President looked up, smiled and then remarked: “Akala ko magtatakbuhan na tayo palabas (I thought we would all run toward the exit).”
Malacañang employees wore hard hats, immediately vacated their offices and proceeded to an open space along J.P. Laurel street when the earthquake was felt at 10:20 a.m. They returned to their workplaces after about 20 minutes.
Operation of the capital’s metro system was also halted while tracks were checked for possible damage.
Images on social media verified by AFP showed a crane truck at a Manila port as it swayed from the force of the tremor.
Intensity 5 was recorded in Calatagan as well as in Looc, Lubang and Paluan in Occidental Mindoro.
Intensity 4 was reported in the cities of Las Piñas, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Manila, Quezon, Pasay, San Juan and Valenzuela. The same intensity was recorded in Balanga City and in Abucay and Orani towns, all in Bataan province; and in some parts of Bulacan, Batangas, Cavite, Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro provinces.
Also at Intensity 4 were Abucay in Bataan; City of Malolos and San Ildefonso in Bulacan; Cabangan, Iba and San Antonio in Zambales; City of Olongapo; Calatagan and Lemery in Batangas; Magallanes and the City of Tagaytay in Cavite; San Jose, Occidental Mindoro; City of Calapan and Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro; and San Roque, Northern Samar.
Intensity 3 was reported in the cities of Makati, Marikina, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasig, Taguig as well as in Pateros. The same strength was recorded in some parts of the provinces of Pangasinan, Pampanga, Batangas, Quezon, Cavite, Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro.
Phivolcs also reported that Intensity 2 was recorded in the cities of Caloocan, Muntinlupa and Baguio as well as in parts of La Union, Bulacan, Pampanga, Laguna, Rizal and Romblon provinces.
It also said that Intensity 1 was recorded in Balagtas town and City of San Jose del Monte in Bulacan; Bongabon, Gabaldon, Laur, and City of Palayan in Nueva Ecija; and in Pitogo, Quezon and Taytay in Rizal.
Following the quake, some local government units suspended afternoon and evening classes for all school levels. These LGUs include Calatagan, San Jose and Lemery in Batangas; Laguna province; Calasiao and Bayambang in Pangasinan; and Bacoor City as well as Ternate and Naic towns, all in Cavite.
In Quezon City, principals were allowed to suspend face-to-face classes based on the recommendation of their respective schools’ disaster risk reduction and management councils. At least 42 public schools in the city opted to shift to asynchronous modality.
Under the Department of Education guidelines, classes will be automatically suspended in areas where Intensity 5 or higher are felt. Local officials may suspend classes in case of Intensity 4 or lower.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said “no major damages or casualties” were reported yesterday.
NDRRMC deputy spokesperson Diego Mariano said in a short message to reporters that they would continue their assessment and monitoring on the incident.
Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr., who chairs the Senate committee on public works, said in a statement that he has already tasked the Department of Public Works and Highways to conduct an “inspection of (public) infrastructures to assess and ensure their structural integrity” and to do this “expeditiously in order to abate the damage and harm it may cause our people.”
Senate employees were evacuated in Pasay city yesterday following the tremor. One of them was Sen. Nancy Binay, who said her meeting was cut short by the shaking.
Meanwhile, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) closed its runway 06/24 for international flights and runway 13/31 for domestic use as well as its taxiways at 10:23 a.m. yesterday. These were reopened though after 11 minutes of cursory inspection for damage to pavements.
Personnel from the Ground and Safety Units of the Manila International Airport Authority conducted the inspection – a standard operating procedure to ensure the safety of landing and takeoff of any type of aircraft using the NAIA runways and taxiways. They found no damage in any part.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines reported that the quake was also felt at the airports in Mamburao, Calapan, Marinduque, Plaridel, Lubang, San Jose, Pinamalayan, Sangley and Jomalig as well as in the Clark Tower and Subic Tower. CAAP officials found no damage after conducting inspections. It also reported that all its employees are safe. – Alexis Romero, Rudy Santos, Ed Amoroso, Janvic Mateo, Ralph Edwin Villanueva, Marc Jayson Cayabyab, AFP