Quakes rattles Burias Island: Locals reminded to be ready

By Ernie Delgado

MASBATE CITY --- In the past two days, over 400 earthquakes have occurred along a fault beneath Burias Island in Masbate, about 500 kilometers south of Manila, including a magnitude-3.1 tremor on Christmas Eve.

The series of earthquakes has been centered in Claveria, one of the two towns on Burias Island. The strongest in this seismic swarm occurred on Wednesday, December 24, at 9:22 a.m.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), at least 36 of these weak earthquakes have been documented, with information on their locations, magnitudes, depths, and fault types visually represented on maps.

However, none of these earthquakes, which were mostly offshore, have been felt by residents of Claveria.

Imelda Dao, who runs a store in the coastal village of Pasig, is not worried about the swarm of earthquakes affecting her hometown. “So far, we haven’t felt any shaking. The drums from carolers shake more than the ground,” said Dao.

“An earthquake swarm is a burst of earthquake activity clustered in a specific area in a short period of time due to movement of a fault,” the Phivolcs explained, in a primer that can be found on the Phivolcs website.

Seismologists explained why the swarm has been happening in Claveria.

“There are several active faults in the area,” said Leni Torrevillas, head of the Phivolcs station in Masbate.

In a recent media interview, Science Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said that earthquake swarms are generally not a cause for concern.

Solidum said that swarms are usually not very destructive.

Some wonder if the swarm might be a precursor of a larger and damaging earthquake.

Solidum has said that’s not necessarily the case.

According to him, there have been swarms of earthquakes before and no large, destructive quake has followed them.

Torrevillas emphasized that earthquakes cannot be precisely predicted with current technology.

“We don’t have an exact earthquake prediction,” she said.

Just the same, Phivolcs is closely monitoring the earthquake activity in the area, she added.

Given the presence of active faults, a larger earthquake could occur anytime so, Torrevillas said it’s best to be prepared.

“The public is strongly advised to follow safety precautions to avoid the dangers of such an event,” she said.

Furthermore, Torrevillas urged skippers of vessels navigating the waters of Claveria to stay alert.

“If a significant earthquake is felt while traveling, please avoid the near shoreline,” she advised.

“So far, it is safe to travel in that area,” she added. (PIA Bicol/Masbate)