If you are seismophobic…

By Herbert Vego

IF you are seismophobic, you would hate living in a tall building or in a congested urban center.

“Seismophobia” is not a familiar English word, but everybody fears it. It is defined as the extreme, often irrational fear of earthquakes.

They often cause large-scale destruction of property and life. Thus, it may force some people to migrate from one place to another, as I found out when I got to know a senior couple who had just occupied a modest home in a subdivision here in Iloilo City. They used to live in a high-rise condominium in Makati City.

I asked why they had resettled here.

“We enjoy living here,” the wife enthused. “The cost of living here is much cheaper.”

They added, however, that it was mainly because they had read that the “Big One” (magnitude 7.2 or stronger earthquake) could hit Metro Manila soon.

They must have read a Philippine News Agency report dated October 8, 2025 which said that “the Big One is expected to have its center along the West Valley Fault, which historically has its major movements occurring every 400 to 600 years. Since its last activity happened around 1658, then scientists are saying that the probability of experiencing a major jolt along the said line is increasing every year.”

According to Director Teresito Bacolcol of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) the Big One is an imagined possibility of a massive earthquake attributable to the Marikina Valley fault system, which extends from Doña Remedios Trinidad in Bulacan to Canlubang in Laguna.

A fault-line earthquake occurs when blocks of rock along a fault suddenly slip past each other, releasing built-up energy as seismic waves that we feel as shaking. As the plates lock, immense geological stress builds up over time until the rock fractures, causing the plates to suddenly slip and release massive amounts of energy as seismic waves.

For example, the magnitude 6.9 earthquake jolted the coast of Cebu in September 2025 was triggered by the Bogo Bay Fault in Bogo City, Cebu.

If truth be told, however, there is really no tested way to predict an earthquake anywhere. All that is possible is detection of faults that might trigger earthquakes.

Phivolcs is now working to overcome obstacles in determining offshore active faults in the archipelago. Through Republic Act 12180, Phivolcs will receive P7 billion over five years to upgrade equipment, add seismic and volcano monitoring stations, strengthen human resources and expand public education on geological hazards.

Where we are, the West Panay Fault is an active 90-kilometer fault line traversing the provinces of Iloilo, Antique, Capiz and Aklan.

The so-far biggest magnitude 8.1 earthquake in our country hit Iloilo City in 1948, destroying 55 churches in Panay Island, including the famous Jaro Cathedral bell tower. It is the only earthquake with a name to remember – Caycay.

Against minor earthquakes, we now have the basic “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” method, which means dropping to one’s hands and knees, covering the head and neck under a sturdy piece of furniture, and holding on until the shaking stops.

-oOo-

MORE POWER HIKE UNAVOIDABLE 

MORE Power has increased its electricity rate slightly by 43 centavos per kilowatt-hour this month – from PHP 13.91/kWh to PHP 14.34/kWh.

This adjustment is mainly due to the increase of generation charges billed by various power plants which supply electricity to MORE Power and other distribution utilities.

The transmission rate charged by the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), which is embedded in the power bill, has also increased.

The distribution charge of MORE Power has not changed from the previous month.

Continuous close monitoring of electricity prices is still being conducted by the officers and engineers of MORE Power to ensure the purchase of the cheapest electricity possible.