Calatagan quake far off Batangas coast, Taal volcano, says Phivolcs

SAN PEDRO CITY —  Taal Volcano in Batangas has remained under Alert Level 1 Wednesday amid the 4.7-magnitude earthquake recorded Monday night in the waters off Calatagan town.

Paolo Reniva, resident volcanologist of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said the tectonic earthquake, with an epicenter 15 km southwest of Calatagan, was unlikely to trigger an eruption.

He allayed fears that the series of tremors in Luzon could affect the island volcano, which has been placed on alert since March 28 due to a series of volcanic earthquakes.

“(Taal) has its own system,” Reniva said in a phone interview.

As of its Wednesday bulletin, Phivolcs recorded nine volcanic earthquakes in Taal within the last 24 hours.

Batangas Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Lito Castro, meanwhile, said there was no reported damage in the province since the 6.1-magnitude quake struck Zambales on Monday afternoon, but said they would continue monitoring the situation.

Another 4.5-magnitude earthquake of tectonic origin struck Zambales at 2:02 a.m. on Wednesday, according to the Phivolcs.

“(The Calatagan earthquake) occurred 147 km under water and too far from the coast. It was hardly felt (on land),” he said in a separate phone interview.

Castro said they have in fact an earthquake intensity meter placed in Calatagan as underwater quakes are relatively “frequent” in that portion between Batangas and Mindoro islands.

“It’s a different faultline (from the one that triggered the Zambales quake). It’s the Lubang fault,” he added.