Magnitude 5 quake jolts Baguio

MANILA, Philippines - A magnitude 5 earthquake rocked Baguio City yesterday but there were no reported damage or injuries, government seismologists said.

Renato Solidum, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said the tremor struck at around 6:20 a.m. and experts traced its epicenter some nine kilometers northwest of La Trinidad, Benguet.

The moderately strong earthquake was felt at Intensity 4 in Baguio City, Intensity 3 in San Fernando, La Union, and Intensity 2 in Burgos, Ilocos Sur.

Solidum said aftershocks were expected from the quake.         

Three minor earthquakes jolted Baguio City and La Trinidad on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a magnitude 3.6 quake also shook Surigao City yesterday, Solidum said.

He said the temblor was recorded at around 5:42 a.m. with its epicenter traced some 43 kms southwest of Surigao City, where it was felt at Intensity 2.

Solidum said the quakes were tectonic in origin. Tectonic pertains to the movement of the earth’s crust.

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit Baguio City on July 16, 1990, killing or injuring an estimated 1,000 people.

The Philippines lies in the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” an area where large earthquakes and volcanic eruptions frequently occur.