6.0-magnitude quake strikes near Metro Manila

MANILA, Philippines - A 6.0-magnitude earthquake rocked parts of Metro Manila and other Luzon provinces yesterday afternoon but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, state seismologists said.

Renato Solidum, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanoloy and Seismology (Phivolcs), said the tremor occurred at 1:29 p.m. with its epicenter traced some 27 kilometers southwest of Lubang Island, Occidental Mindoro. Reports said the quake lasted for about 10 seconds.

The United States Geological Survey said there were actually two quakes just seconds apart, with the first at 6.0 magnitude and barely under the surface, while the second was 33 kilometers deep.

The quake was strongly felt at Intensity 5 in Looc and Lubang Island, Occidental Mindoro and Manila.

Based on the Phivolcs’ Earthquake Intensity Scale, an Intensity 5 quake “is generally felt by most people indoors and outdoors. Many sleeping people are awakened. Strong shaking and rocking felt throughout building.”

Intensity 4, meanwhile, was felt in the cities of Mandaluyong, Quezon, Pasay, Makati, Taguig, Pasig, and Talisay, Batangas.

It was felt at Intensity 3 in Marikina City, Tagaytagy City, Rosario and Trece Martirez, Cavite; Clark, Pampanga; Bagac, Bataan and Canlubang, Laguna and Intensity 2 in Calamba, Laguna and Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro.

National Disaster Coordinating Council executive officer Glenn Rabonza said that an hour after the earthquake, they have still not received reports of structural damage.

“Normally, if we experience an earthquake as strong as that, we are informed immediately about the damages. We have a fast reporting system,” he said.

Solidum said minor aftershocks are possible though the strength of the quake was not enough to generate a tsunami.

Magnitude refers to the measure of energy of an earthquake specified on the Richter scale. The intensity, on the other hand, is a measure of the severity of shaking and its attendant damage on the surface of the earth.

Solidum said about 20 quakes hit the country everyday but only a few are felt. – With Alexis Romero, Michael Punong-bayan, Reuters