PHIVOLCS Director Dr. Teresito Bacolcol said on Wednesday that the 433 quakes that affected Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat was an “earthquake sequence,” and assured that such quake intensities typically decrease.
In an interview on Balansyado, Bacolcol explained that earthquake sequences happen when tectonic stress is released gradually.
“Tawag po natin dito earthquake sequence. Ito ‘yung gradual release of tectonic stress in an active, offshore area, again ‘yung nabanggit ko kaninang Cotabato trench. So instead na isang bagsakang malakas na lindol, paunti-unti itong nilalabas ‘yung stress sa pamamagitan ng maraming lindol,” he told the anchors.
“Kung may susunod pa ba (na earthquake), ang mga ganitong possibility ng any active tectonic area, the possibility of a stronger earthquake cannot be ruled out. Pero ngayon, there is no scientific method to predict exactly how strong or when the future earthquake will happen,” he added, later saying that, based on the agency’s observations of previous earthquakes, magnitude numbers tend to go down rather than spike.
Moreover, Bacolcol said that a magnitude 5.2 earthquake, although perceptible, was not considered a “major” quake.
“‘Yung (magnitude) 5.2, ‘yun ‘yung naramdaman ng mga tao, and ganoon din sumunod po 4.6… Pero again ‘yung 5.2, hindi naman masyadong—that’s not considered as a major earthquake. That is just considered as a moderately-sized earthquake,” he said.
When asked about the possibility of a tsunami occurring, Bacolcol said this was unlikely.
“(Magnitude) 5.2, hindi ‘yan makakapag-generate ng tsunami but again, nagbigay tayo ng advisory sa ating mga kababayan, kung ano ‘yung gagawin nila in the event of a tsunamigenic earthquake,” he said.
However, he still advised the public to look out for three signs indicating the formation of one. First is a quake so strong, people are unable to stand; second is a roaring sound coming from the sea; and third is when the sea level drops. Any one of these signs indicates that people, particularly those living in coastal areas, must move to higher places.
On Wednesday, a magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat at around 7:25 a.m.
