Comval townsfolk panic over ‘volcanic eruption’

DAVAO CITY — Local authorities have been trying hard to convince the townsfolk of Nabunturan in Compostela Valley not to panic and not to believe text messages claiming that a volcano was about to erupt in their midst.

Ferdinand Taglucup, Southern Mindanao analyst of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvocs), told The STAR that hundreds of residents in Nabunturan have evacuated to safer grounds following the false report.

The yarn about the volcano eruption came after an earthquake struck most parts of Northern and Southern Mindanao last Sunday night.

The temblor was noted to be tectonic in origin with its epicenter located 47 kilometers northeast of Tagum City in neighboring Davao del Norte.

"The residents of Nabunturan have mistaken a four-foot high mound of mud in Barangay Bukal that was earlier named Mt. Angelo, to be a volcano. But it is not a volcano based on our studies since 1997; it is a mound of mud," Taglucup said.

Besides, he said the townsfolk should understand that the May 9 earthquake that hit the region was actually tectonic in origin and had nothing to do with volcanic activities.

"The earthquake had something to do with the fault that was in the area but not with any volcano," he said.

The temblor, he said, was followed by over 10 aftershocks. "Most of the aftershocks were not felt, and we expect to have more aftershocks even after one month," he added.

Taglucup, accompanied by local officials of Compostela Valley and representatives of the Office of the Civil Defense, visited Nabunturan last Monday night to convince residents to return to their homes since there was no truth to the text messages about Mt. Angelo.