TACLOBAN CITY — Successive earthquakes over the past few days have shaken Eastern Visayas, disrupting classes, office work, and public activities as residents remain on alert for possible aftershocks.
On Friday, October 10, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck off the coast of Manay, Mindanao at around 9:43 a.m. sent strong tremors across Eastern Visayas, prompting precautionary evacuations in coastal areas and widespread class and work suspensions.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the tremor was tectonic in origin and was felt across several provinces in the Visayas, including Leyte, Samar, and Eastern Samar. A tsunami advisory was issued for coastal communities in Leyte, Eastern Samar, and Southern Leyte, urging residents to move to higher ground.
In Dulag, Leyte, and Maydolong, Eastern Samar, local officials advised fishermen not to venture to sea, while Southern Leyte Governor Damian Mercado directed residents in coastal villages to evacuate inland.
Classes and government work were suspended in several towns and cities, including Guiuan, San Julian, and San Policarpo in Eastern Samar, and Ormoc City, Baybay City, Palo, Hilongos, Villaba, and Carigara in Leyte.
In Tacloban City, the tremor triggered brief panic as office workers, shoppers, and patients in hospitals rushed outdoors for safety. Several hospitals and schools, including the University of the Philippines Tacloban campus, temporarily halted operations to allow for safety inspections.
A major shopping mall in the city also closed temporarily to check for structural damage.
The Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative (Esamelco) shut down one of its substations affecting Llorente, Balangkayan, Maydolong, San Julian, and Borongan City, before later restoring power after confirming no major damage.
Meanwhile, in Leyte, Leyte, the opening ceremony of a school sports competition was interrupted when the quake struck, causing panic among students and teachers. In Catbalogan City, Samar, the distribution of cash assistance for Typhoon “Opong” victims was briefly halted but resumed once safety was assured.
Just three days later, on Monday, October 13, another quake jolted the region — this time a magnitude 6.0 tremor with an epicenter in Bogo City, Cebu, the same area that produced a magnitude 6.9 quake on September 30.
Phivolcs reported the quake at 1:06 a.m. with a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, and intensities recorded across Eastern Visayas as follows: Intensity V – Villaba, Leyte; Intensity IV – Ormoc City, Albuera, Capoocan, Calubian, Isabel, Kananga, Merida, Palompon, and San Isidro, all in Leyte; Intensity III – Tacloban City, Baybay City, and the towns of Abuyog, Burauen, Carigara, Dulag, Inopacan, Hilongos, Javier, MacArthur, Mahaplag, Palo, Tanauan, and Tolosa in Leyte; Hinunangan, Hinundayan, Silago, and Sogod in Southern Leyte; Rosario in Northern Samar; Intensity II – Maasin City, Malitbog, Padre Burgos, and San Francisco in Southern Leyte; Borongan City and Sulat in Eastern Samar; and Intensity I – Quinapondan, Eastern Samar, and Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte
The early morning quake roused many residents from sleep.
“I had to run out of the house after being awakened by the shaking that lasted for several seconds,” said Minchie de Paz of Tacloban City.
Local government units in Albuera, Mahaplag, Baybay City, and Ormoc City suspended classes from elementary to college levels to allow for building inspections. A Catholic school in Tacloban also cancelled classes and all related activities, while the Eastern Samar State University in Borongan City suspended classes to assess the structural integrity of its facilities.
No major damage or casualties have been reported from either tremor, but local officials urged residents to remain vigilant as aftershocks continue to be felt across the region.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
