5.9 Quake Hits Philipines

Magnitude 5.9 quake rocks Bukidnon, cracks buildings

Ruby Leonora R. Balistoy

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook several towns in Bukidnon province at 9:22 p.m, Monday, 18 November.

Marcial Labininay, Director for Northern Mindanao’s Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said the tremor was recorded at Intensity VI, shaking homes and causing cracks to some buildings.

He said the quake was of tectonic origin with a depth of five kilometers (5 km). Its epicenter was traced at eight kilometers (8 km) northwest of Kadingilan town.

Labininay clarified that “Intensity” is determined on the strength of shaking produced by the earthquake at a certain location. Intensity I is considered low, while Intensity 7 (written as “Intensity VII” in seismology lingo) is high in scale that could damage buildings and other structures.

The Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (LDRRMO) of Kadingilan reported that cracks were seen in several structures due to the quake’s strength.

Initial report from Bukidnon’s provincial DRRM Officer Johanne Damasco, meanwhile, showed structural damage in the neighboring towns of Kadingilan—where the epicenter was located.

In Dangcagan town, one house was totally damaged and one (1) two-storey building partially damaged; the Barangay hall of Camp 1 in Maramag cracked; some houses in Kitaotao town were reported partially damaged; and minor cracks at Bukidnon Provincial Medical Center in Malaybalay City were also reported.

Damasco said the local DRRM Offices in various towns hit by the said quake are now on overtime assessing further damages.