Was duck-cover-hold enough during Friday's magnitude-6.3 earthquake?

Many students and office workers evacuated their classrooms and workplaces on Friday after a magnitude-6.3 earthquake struck Lian, Batangas at 1:28 p.m.

The earthquake was felt in different intensities in other parts of Luzon including Metro Manila.

But was it enough for students and office workers to do duck-cover-hold and then leave their buildings with books over their heads?

According to Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) Director and Science and Technology Undersecretary Renato Solidum, it was enough since the said earthquake was not so damaging.

"Pero pagkatapos po nu'n, kung talagang malakas, dapat iniinspeksyon ang building kung may sira o wala," he said in an interview on Unang Balita on Monday.

Solidum added that last Friday's quake was not so damaging since it was deep. It had a depth of 177 kilometers.

Aftershocks occurred twice on Sunday afternoon with magnitudes of 4.5 and 3.9, he said.

"Itong mga ito [aftershocks] ay madalang kasi nga masyadong malalim 'yung magnitude 6.3 nu'ng Friday. So hindi naman talaga ganu'n karami and hindi naman mararamdaman kasi masyadong malalim," he added.

"Malayo 'yung pinanggalingan ng lindol at malalim so hindi talaga damaging," Solidum said.

This was why those on the ground floor did not feel the Friday earthquake as much as those on the higher floors did, he said.

"'Yung mga nasa taas ng mga building, hindi po sa ground floor, siyempre mas malakas ang pagyanig. 'Yun 'yung mga nagsibabaan. Karamihan ng nasa ground floor 'di masyadong naramdaman.

"Kailangan matantiya kung anong intensity lalo na sa ground floor. Lalo na sa mga ospital, hindi naman kailangang magpa-evacuate agad-agad ng mga tao," he said.

"'Yung nangyari nu'ng Friday, duck-cover-hold lang. Walang masyadong gagawin kasi wala namang nasira," Solidum said. —KG, GMA News