Phivolcs cautions public against possible magnitude 7 quake

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said yesterday preparation is the proper response to a United Nation warning of a possible magnitude 7 earthquake in Metro Manila.

“The public should not panic, but should prepare,” Phivolcs director Renato Solidum said in an interview.

Solidum issued the statement after United Nations official Arjun Kartoch re-issued the warning that an earthquake with a magnitude of 7 to 8 on the Richter scale would hit Metro Manila.

He noted that the scenario presented by Kartoch during the second session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva, Switzerland was based on a study conducted by Phivolcs together with other government agencies and the Japan International Cooperation Agency in 2002 and 2004.

He said there is no way to predict accurately when and where an earthquake would strike.

Kartoch, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Emergency Services Branch, said an earthquake of magnitude 7 could destroy 16,000 buildings and injure 150,000 people.

Solidum said the government was using earthquake strength of magnitude 7.2 from the Valley Fault System (formerly known as the Marikina Valley Fault System) “for planning purposes.”

He said if the government failed to prepare, a quake with such magnitude would affect around 38 percent of residential buildings, 14 percent of high-rise buildings and 35 percent of public buildings in the metropolis.

Solidum said the Philippine government has been implementing the “Ready Project,” also known as the “High Risk Mapping and Assessment for Effective Community Disaster Risk Management,” in disaster prone areas in the country.

The project, funded by the UN Development Program and Australian AID, is being implemented by several government agencies involved in disaster management, including the Phivolcs, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, Mines and Geosciences Bureau, National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, and Office of the Civil Defense.

The project was conceptualized due to the country’s vulnerability to natural disasters like typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions.

Meanwhile, Phivolcs said a magnitude 4.5 tectonic earthquake rocked parts of Davao Oriental yesterday but caused no damage or injuries.

Solidum said the tremor occurred at 1:17 p.m. with its epicenter at 150 kilometers northeast of Mati, Davao Oriental.

He said the quake was felt at Intensity 2 in Poblacion Taragona, Davao Oriental. — Helen Flores