In Northern Samar, quake wrecks school, damages town halls

Inquirer files

TACLOBAN CITY, LEYTE, Philippines — At least six classrooms in Northern Samar were destroyed while 32 others were damaged, along with three municipal halls, after a magnitude 5.7 earthquake shook the province on Monday.

The Department of Education (DepEd) in Eastern Visayas said in a report on Tuesday that six classrooms of Don Juan F. Avalon National High School in San Roque town crumbled while 14 others were damaged.

Eighteen classrooms at Catubig Valley National High School in Catubig town were damaged by the 30-second quake, which was recorded by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology at 11:39 a.m. on Monday in Pambujan town.

READ: Magnitude 5.7 earthquake rocks Northern Samar

The earthquake caused cracks on the walls and ceilings of the municipal halls in Catarman, Victoria and Pambujan, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).

A Pambujan municipal employee was hit by falling debris on the forehead while an employee in Rosario town lost consciousness as workers panicked on their way out of their building.

The PDRRMO said the towns of Catubig, Las Navas, Silvino Lubos and Lope de Vega felt the tremor at Intensity 4 while it was a stronger Intensity 5 in the remaining 20 towns, including the provincial capital of Catarman.

In Catarman, two business establishments reported damages, including broken glass windows.

In Palapag town, cracks were observed in the floor tiles and ceilings of the municipal trial court building and the mayor’s office.

Despite the damage, classes throughout Northern Samar resumed on Tuesday.

“We have yet to provide the total cost of the damage to the schools as the assessment is still ongoing,” said Jasmin Calzita, the regional DepEd information officer, in an interview on Tuesday.

PDRRMO head Rei Josiah Echano said they were also coordinating with the Provincial Engineering Office in consolidating the reports of damages caused by the earthquake.