Bicol folk flee to higher ground in fear of 'tsunami'

Despite the authorities' assurances that the danger of a tsunami is over, residents in the coastal areas of Camarines Sur in Bicol spent the night at higher ground Tuesday night. Radio station dzRH reported that residents of coastal villages and areas near the national highway in Pasacao town started returning to their houses only after midnight Tuesday. "Umpisa mga 10:30 p.m. lumabas ang balita magkakaroon ng tsunami ... Ang iba nasa bundok nagsabi magpapaumaga na lang kasi delikado ang terrain at umuulan dito nang kaunti (When we learned on the news that there was a tsunami alert, many fled to higher ground. Many said they will come down later because it was raining)," Sr. Insp. Virgilio Olalia Jr., police chief of the town, said on dzRH radio Wednesday. To make matters worse for the residents, electric power remains cut off in many parts of Camarines Sur, making radio announcements virtually useless. Olalia said police teams had gone around town announcing that the tsunami scare was not true. Mayor Manuel Oliver Jr. said that as of 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, residents had started returning to their homes after being convinced there was no danger from tsunami. "Ang iba inatake kagabi ng high blood sa sobrang takot siguro (Many suffered an attack of high blood because of fear)," he said. Olalia said many residents spent the night at the local church, and at the local covered courts near the town center. Local authorities from neighboring Pamplona town sent trucks to fetch the residents and help them return to their homes. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised a tsunami alert Tuesday night following an earthquake that occurred between Batanes and Taiwan. Phivolcs eventually assured the public that the tsunami alert had been canceled. Still, several residents trooped to the nearby mountains on foot and on vehicles. "Nagpapasiguro lang kami (We are just making sure)," dzRH quoted one resident as saying. It was the second time a tsunami scare hit the Bicol area. Last month, several residents in Albay province fled to the hills after text messages circulated that a tsunami was about to hit the area. At the time, typhoon "Reming" had just ravaged the province, and debris from Mayon Volcano buried entire villages. Pasacao is a fourth-class town in Camarines Sur with a population of 38,423 people in 6,828 households. Meanwhile, Solidum reiterated his assurance that there is no more danger from tsunami after Tuesday night's alert, even as he explained the alert was a safety measure. "For safety measures kailangan bantayang mabuti ang dalampasigan at manmanang mabuti (For safety, we asked provincial authorities to keep watch over the shores)," he said in an interview on dzXL radio Wednesday morning. He also said it is standard procedure for Phivolcs to inform the provincial disaster coordinating councils concerned about such alerts. In Tuesday night's case, he said the Phivolcs alerted PDCCs in Central Luzon. "Kung gusto nila magsigurado pwede umakyat sa di-kataasang lugar (If people want to, the can go to higher ground)," he said. - GMANews.TV