Rumor linking Batangas quake to volcanic eruption debunked

MANILA, Philippines — The state volcanology agency warned the public against sharing false information linking the 5.5 magnitude Batangas quake to a predicted looming eruption of Mt. Banahaw.

"PHIVOLCS-DOST has not made any predictions of earthquakes or volcanic eruptions as a consequence of the Magnitude 5.5 earthquake in Batangas 04 April 2017," the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

Rumors circulated advising residents in the whole Calabarzon region, where the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon are located, to prepare as Mt. Banahaw was expected to erupt.

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The rumor also contained wrong information on the time and magnitude of the quake which it said was 2.1. It attributed the information to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Phivolcs said that unless the announcement is posted on the agency's official website, the public should be careful in forwarding information from unverified sources. 

Mt. Banahaw is not included on the list of volcano bulletins the agency is currently monitoring. 

The volcano, located at the boundary of Laguna and Quezon, last erupted in 1843, according to Phivolcs data. The agency recorded three historical eruptions of the volcano.

As of 10:13 a.m. on Wednesday, Phivolcs has recorded 49 aftershocks in Batangas after the 5.5 magnitude jolt at 8:58 p.m. on Tuesday.