Magnitude 4.6 quake strikes southwest of Batangas – PHIVOLCS

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake jolted Batangas' Mabini town, about 50 kilometers south of the restive Taal Volcano, on Sunday night, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported

The quake struck at 8:59 p.m. four kilometers southwest of Mabini, was tectonic in origin, and had a seven-kilometer depth of focus.

The earthquake was the strongest out of 28 temblors that rocked the province as of 9:09 p.m., and was felt at Intensity V in Mabini and Bauan, Batangas.

It was also felt at Intensity IV in Batangas City and Santo Tomas, Batangas; Intensity III in Malvar, Cuenca, Tanauan, San Pascual and Calatagan, Batangas as well as Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro, and San Pablo, Laguna; and Intensity II in Alfonso, Cavite and San Teodoro, Oriental Mindoro.

It was meanwhile measured at an Instrumental Intensity I in Tagaytay City.

A 4.0 quake followed at 10:02 p.m.

Neither aftershocks nor damage was expected from the quakes.

Meanwhile, 27 other earthquakes rocked different parts of Batangas on Sunday, with magnitudes ranging from 1.2 to 3.8.

The 27 other quakes were recorded in Mabini, Calatagan, Batangas City, Cuenca, Agoncillo, San Nicolas, Talisay, and Laurel.

The province of Batangas is still dealing with the effects of Taal Volcano’s phreatic or steam-driven eruption last Sunday.

According to the latest data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, over 137,000 Batangueños were affected by the eruption, with some 92,000 of them having taken shelter in evacuation centers. — Julia Mari Ornedo/DVM/BM, GMA News