A magnitude 5.1 earthquake shook buildings and caused students to leave their classrooms in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental, at 8:04 a.m. Tuesday, October 7.
The tectonic earthquake was felt at Intensity II in Iloilo City and Intensity I in Bago City, Negros Occidental, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported.
The tremor also shook Kabankalan City in southern Negros Occidental, where students also left school buildings.
Kabankalan Catholic College (KCC) reported that students were evacuated to designated open areas and classes were suspended in the morning to ensure the safety of the school premises.
The KCC buildings were declared safe for occupancy in the afternoon.
Sipalay City was hit by a magnitude 3.5 earthquake at 5:58 a.m. and magnitude 5.1 quake at 8:04 a.m. Tuesday, Mayor Gina Montilla Lizares said.
The earthquake at 8:04 a.m. shook the Sipalay City Hall, houses and other buildings in Sipalay, she said.
Classes were not cancelled because Sipalay City is used to such earthquakes since it is located near the Negros Trench and there was no tsunami warning, she said.
However, school buildings were assessed for safety before the students were allowed to return to their classrooms.
Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA) teams were deployed to evaluate the extent of damage, and assess the structural integrity and safety of various schools, Dionilo Rodero Bogtae, Sipalay City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) coordinator, said.
Tension cracks were observed at five buildings at Gil Montilla National High School, and it was advised that they remain closed until further notice, Bogtae said.
Market stalls in Brgy. Nabulao, and the People’s Hall and a Health Center in Brgy. Mambarato had hairline cracks and are up for assessment, the RDANA report said.
Some floor tiles at the People’s Hall were dislodged and popped up due to ground movement during the earthquake, the report added.
There were noticeable cracks in the Sangguniang Kabataan Building in Barangay Maricalum and tension cracks at a school building at the Agripino Alvarez Elementary School, the report said.
Meanwhile, Mayor Richard Jaojoco cancelled classes in Toboso, Negros Occidental, on Tuesday as a precautionary measure following earthquakes that rocked the town .
The town was rocked by five earthquakes, two of which were at magnitude 3.4 on Monday, and by two more on Tuesday.*