INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck off Luzon on Tuesday, prompting class cancellations and evacuation of offices and universities in Metro Manila.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the earthquake was recorded at 4:23 p.m., 18 kilometers northeast off Lubang town in Occidental Mindoro province, with a depth of 60 kilometers. The epicenter is about 130 km from Metro Manila where the earthquake was also observed.
In a phone interview with Lubang Mayor Michael Lim Orayani, he said an assessment was ongoing but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
Intensity 5 was recorded in Lubang as well as in Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro province. Meanwhile, intensity 4 was recorded in Makati, Quezon City, Taguig, as well as in Malolos, Meycauayan, Obando and Plaridel in Bulacan, Floridablanca in Pampanga, San Jose in Batangas, and Tagaytay City in Cavite. Intensity 3 was recorded in Caloocan, Pasig, Cuenca and Talisay in Batangas, Bacoor and General Trias in Cavite, Rodriguez in Rizal, and in Mamburao in Occidental Mindoro.
Phivolcs said on X, formerly Twitter, that it did not expect damage, but warned of aftershocks.
Images shared by media on X showed government workers leaving Congress, the Senate, Malacañang, and the Department of Justice buildings, while students also evacuated universities, according to a report from news service Reuters.
The Department of Transportation also stopped train operations, while the Manila International Airport Authority reported that no damage was observed on the runway and taxiway pavements and terminal facilities of Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
According to the Pasig Public Information Office, operations at City Hall were suspended.
Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto posted on X that the building had been evacuated after notable shaking was felt.
Workers and residents in Caloocan City were also evacuated to the People’s Park by the Caloocan Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, according to Caloocan City Mayor Dale Gonzalo Malapitan’s Facebook post.
Meanwhile, classes for all levels, in public and private schools, were suspended on Tuesday in Malabon and Navotas.
Navotas City Mayor John Rey Tiangco also suspended work in government offices on Tuesday due to the earthquake.
Earthquakes are common in the Philippines, which lies on the “Ring of Fire,” a belt of volcanoes circling the Pacific Ocean that is prone to seismic activity.