DAVAO CITY (Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network): The series of earthquakes that rocked Davao de Oro province in the last two days sent at least 362 families out of their homes, setting up tents in open spaces or taking shelters at evacuation sites, according to the initial report of the Davao de Oro provincial disaster risk reduction office.
Of the 362 displaced families, 286 came from seven barangays of New Bataan town, the epicentre of most of the moderate-to-strong earthquakes that shook Davao de Oro in the last two days that followed the magnitude 6 tremor on Feb 1.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) report also noted 76 families in Paloc, Maragusan, who took shelter in Paloc gym and 237 individuals from Barangay Bukal in Nabunturan town, who sought refuge in a gym in Manat village.
Most residents in New Bataan and Nabunturan chose to sleep outside their houses on Tuesday (March 7) night in case another quake struck.
In Barangay Tagnocon, people set up tents on the grounds of Tagnocon Elementary School, while in Barangay Cabacungan, people gathered at the Cabacungan gym and purok centres, the local government reported.
As of 7am on Wednesday, March 8, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded 952 earthquakes since the 4.9 magnitude quake that struck New Bataan at 12:49am on Monday.
Phivolcs also plotted 149 quakes with magnitudes ranging from 1.5 to 5.9 during the period.
Festivities related to the founding anniversary of Davao de Oro were canceled on Wednesday.
Gov. Dorothy Gonzaga also ordered the suspension of classes and work in the government starting Tuesday.
The province was supposed to observe on Wednesday the culminating activities of Davao de Oro’s 25th Bulawan Festival, including a free open-air concert by Manila-based artists at the provincial capitol grounds in Nabunturan, but these, too, were scrapped as a result of the quake that was felt at Intensity VI in New Bataan, Nabunturan, Maco, and Maragusan.
The series of strong quakes, with magnitudes of 5.9 and 5.6, came only three hours from each other on Tuesday, March 7, the day after two moderate quakes shook the area at dawn on Monday.
Phivolcs said the 4.9 magnitude quake that struck New Bataan at 12:49 a.m. on Monday was an aftershock of the magnitude 6 tremor that shook the province on Feb. 1.
Barely five hours after the 4.9 quake, another tremor of magnitude 5.3 jolted the area at 4:43 a.m. on Monday, with the epicenter traced at 22 kilometers southeast of New Bataan.
A house collapsed in the town’s Camanlangan village, while several others sustained minor damage and cracks, prompting 68 families to flee to a school in Andap village, the New Bataan local government said.
At least 54 families in Barangay Cabinuangan were assisted.
In Maragusan town, 127 families evacuated to the barangay hall in Paloc village, as their houses had cracks and minor damage.
A rockslide also covered a portion of the provincial road linking New Bataan and Maragusan.
Minor landslides were reported in Maco, New Bataan, and Maragusan, briefly disrupting traffic on several affected roads.
In Tagum City, where Intensity IV shaking was felt, a shopping mall sustained minor damage.
Footage circulating on social media showed student performers rushing out in panic from the New Tagum City Hall Atrium in Barangay Apokon as the quake began.
A 19-year-old girl in Tagum City was injured after a portion of a concrete firewall crumbled over her, the PDRRMO said.
In Davao del Norte, Gov. Edwin Jubahib ordered the cancellation of classes and government work as authorities assessed the effects of the quakes.
The PDRRMO report said the road that collapsed in sitio Shadol was already damaged by heavy rains before it was further weakened during the earthquake.
The Shadol road, which linked New Bataan to Maragusan town, was already passable through its one lane while the collapsed portion of its other lane was still cordoned off.
Phivolcs explained that the 5.6 magnitude quake that followed three hours after the 5.9 magnitude quake on Tuesday, March 7, was a separate quake, and not an aftershock.
Phivolcs said they were closely watching the series of earthquakes currently happening in Davao de Oro, which they considered one of the country’s seismically active regions because of several segments of the Philippine Fault in the area.
These segments include the Eastern Compostela Valley segment, the Western Compostela Valley segment, Central Compostela Valley, and Nabunturan segments, among others, the Central Compostela Valley, Nabunturan, Caraga River, and the Mati segments of the Philippine Fault.
Aside from this, there are also other nearby local faults, some of which may be covered by recent deposits that could be the sources of small-to-strong magnitude quakes.
But it was still too early for Phivolcs to determine which particular segment or fault had moved as they asked the public to be mindful and alert of their surroundings.
