COTABATO CITY, Philippines– An official of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) office in Kidapawan City described as untrue a text message circulating in North Cotabato that an underground volcano had been discovered in Carmen town.
“There is no truth to that message,†engineer Hermie Daquipa said as he noted that the magnitude 5.7 earthquake that jolted parts of Central Mindanao was of tectonic origin and has nothing to do with any volcanic activity.
The message triggered panic among Muslim and Christian communities in Carmen, worst hit by Saturday night’s magnitude 5.7 tremor that damaged houses, schools and bridges. The town is now under a state of calamity.
The Phivolcs office in Kidapawan City, which is only about 40 kilometers northeast of Carmen, has recorded close to 200 aftershocks as of Monday.
Engineer Renier Amilbahar, operations chief of Phivolcs, advised the public to ignore text messages that warned of more powerful earthquakes.
He urged residents to listen only to their advisories that would be aired over television and radio stations.