43 Central Luzon villages prone to liquefaction

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Philippines  – Amid threats of a rainy La Niña phenomenon, studies revealed that 43 barangays in Pampanga and Nueva Ecija are prone to liquefaction, a geological phenomenon in which solid ground turns into virtual liquid during an earthquake.

The 43 barangays were among those identified by the regional office of the Mines and Geociences Bureau (MGB), which is now preparing hazard maps based on a “rapid geological assessment” it has been conducting since 2006.

MGB regional geologist Orlando Pineda Sr. said geo-hazard maps for Pampanga, Zambales and Aurora have so far been completed with the help of the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, and Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

The studies showed that all 23 barangays of the coastal town of Sasmuan in Pampanga are prone to liquefaction.

The other areas similarly at risk from the unusual phenomenon are Barangays Batasan, Candelaria, Consuelo, San Esteban and San Francisco in Macabebe town, and Bulac, Sta. Catalina, Daue, San Francisco I, San Francisco 2, Manica, Sta. Rita, San Pedro and Saplad in Minalin town, all in Pampanga.

In Laur, Nueva Ecija, Barangays Panaulo and Betania and Sitio Pangarolong are also prone to liquefaction.

Liquefaction occurs when liquid-saturated ground is shaken by an earthquake. It is also often referred to as earthquake liquefaction.

The MGB report, meanwhile, identified at least 192 barangays as prone to “high flooding” or at least meter-deep flooding, and 23 barangays, mostly in Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and Aurora, as highly vulnerable to landslides.