Temblor spreads fear in typhoon-stricken Panay

By: Emme Rose Santiagudo

A 4.8-magnitude earthquake jolted typhoon-stricken Panay island and nearby provinces on Thursday night.

The temblor also caused fresh cracks on the Iloilo Hall of Justice in Iloilo City, based on initial reports as of Friday.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) monitored the tremor six kilometers northeast of the San Enrique town in Iloilo province at around 8:19 p.m.

The earthquake has a depth of 12 kilometers and is tectonic in origin, PHIVOLCS said.

Intensity 4 was felt in Passi City and towns of San Enrique and Dingle in Iloilo province; Tapaz in Capiz and Bago City in Negros Occidental while Intensity III was recorded in Iloilo City, La Carlota City, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Nueva Valencia town in Guimaras and towns of Bugasong and Barbaza in Antique.

Meanwhile, Intensity II was also monitored in President Roxas in Capiz province and Masbate City, based on the bulletin of PHIVOLCS.

Capiz Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Judy Pelaez said strong tremors were felt in the entire province even in the evacuation centers where some of the typhoon-afflicted residents were staying.

“Mabaskog ang linog. It was felt by the entire province. Those in the evacuation centers were forced to go out due to the tremor,” Pelaez said in a phone interview on Friday.

Pelaez said that residents who were trying to recover from Typhoon Ursula once again feared for their safety during the earthquake.

“People were scared especially with the recent typhoon and there were tsunami scares especially in the coastal communities but our MDRRMO officers were able to educate them and calm them down,” she said.

According to Pelaez, there are still no reported damages in the province as two assessments are currently being done in Capiz particularly for the earthquake and for the damages done by Typhoon Ursula.

On Thursday, the entire province of Capiz has been placed under a state of calamity due to the effects of Typhoon Ursula.

In Iloilo City, employees and clients of the Iloilo Hall of Justice were barred from entering for several hours while personnel from the City Engineer’s Office check the cracks that appeared on several parts of the building.

A legacy project of then Justice Secretary now Senator Franklin Drilon, the building was also abandoned for months after suffering from cracks caused by a magnitude 5.7 temblor on February 6, 2012.

A former Department of Public Works and Highways-Western Visayas director recommended the demolition of the building but a new director resorted to retrofitting.

Offices moved out of the building and scattered to various locations while the retrofitting works were implemented.

As of Dec. 27, Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) recorded 19 casualties from Panay island.

Four of the casualties were recorded from the province of Capiz while 13 were recorded from Iloilo province and two from Aklan.

Eight remain missing where two come from the town of Pontevedra in Capiz.