S. Leyte quake damages 3 gov’t buildings

MANILA, Philippines - The magnitude 5.3 earthquake that rattled Southern Leyte and other parts of the Visayas on Friday left major damage to at least three government buildings in St. Bernard town, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

In May 2006, a rain-induced landslide swallowed an entire elementary school in Guinsaugon, a village in St. Bernard, believed killing 1,500 people.

NDRRMC executive director and Office of Civil Defense administrator Alexander Pama said the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology immediately deployed personnel to monitor any developments in the quake- and landslide-prone area.

Damaged in the tectonic quake, which also reached as far as the province of Dinagat Islands, were the St. Bernard Central School, the tourism office in the municipal compound, and the town center building.

The three structures sustained major cracks on their floorings, beams and walls. The tremor, which occurred at 7:55 a.m. Friday with its epicenter spotted off Hinundayan, Southern Leyte, also triggered panic among students and teachers of the Guinsaugon National High School.

A 15-year-old student had to be rushed to the Anahawan District Hospital to calm her down. A teacher and two students lost consciousness.

In Hinundayan town, Mayor Evelyn Lee said a few residents suffered minor injuries and several houses made of light materials were destroyed.          – With Lalaine Jimenea