Landslide warning after quake hits CV

CEBU, Philippines - A magnitude 4.5 earthquake shook Central Visayas 6:21 a.m. yesterday, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

While Phivolcs said no casualties or damage to property have been reported so far, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Office warned the public to be cautious.

Moises Plaza, PDRRMO monitoring staff, the aftershocks could trigger landslides, especially that the soil by now has become saturated and loose due to rains the past several days.

“Posible gyud na kay mouyog man ang yuta labi nga humok (A landslide is possible because an earthquake shakes an already loose soil),” he said.

PDRRMO is monitoring tropical storm Henry which brought isolated rains in some areas of the province.

Earlier, the Office of the Civil Defense advised the public, particularly those living in slopes, to be watchful for signs of imminent threat of landslides, such as falling stones.

Both Plaza said their office got no reports that Cebu suffered damage following the magnitude 4.5 earthquake.

He said their office called the different local government units immediately after the quake and were told the earthquake left no damage.

Seismic Observer Robinson Jorgio also said that no part of CV suffered damage as a result o the earth movement, which he said was actually an “aftershock” of the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that jolted Cebu and Bohol last year.

Jorgio said that just like last year, yesterday’s aftershock originated from the the North Bohol fault line.

He revealed that Phivolcs had already ceased tallying the number of aftershocks, adding when they stopped last May, it already reached more than 6,000.

“Naa naman gud mi’y mga mobile stations like naa sa Bohol nga maoy mag-monitor, then i-download pa namo aron makahibaw mi pila na gyud ang total sa mga aftershocks sa pareha nga source (We already have mobile monitoring stations in Bohol, whose data we have to download to get the exact total of aftershocks from same source),” he said.

Yesterday, an intensity 2 quake was felt in Inabanga (Bohol); 3 in Sagbayan, Tagbilaran City, Tubigon, and Clarin in Bohol and in Cebu City; while Catigbian, Bohol felt an intensity 4 tremor.

Jorgio said that the epicenter was located 09.87° north, 124.03° east – 003 km north 60° east of Catigbian.

Phivolcs said that the tremor was tectonic in origin.

The magnitude 4.5 earthquake was later followed by a magnitude 1.8 (6:25 a.m.) and magnitude 2.8 (10:54 a.m.) aftershocks originating from the same fault that hit Bohol but were not felt in Cebu City.

“Dili angay makulbaan ug dili mahadlok kay natural raman kini (There is nothing to worry about as this is just natural.  (This is just an) adjustment period kini aron ma-stabilize ang block sa yuta,” Jorgio said.  (FREEMAN)