More quakes rattle RP, hit Cagayan de Oro, Bohol

Shortly after earthquakes hit northern Luzon and Indonesia, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded more seismic activity in Misamis Oriental and Bohol, GMANews.TV learned Monday. Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum told GMA 7's DZBB that the quakes were felt in Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental at 9:14 p.m. last Sunday, while another quake was felt before dawn Monday off the Bohol coast. "Hindi sila malalakas pero may nakaramdam. Magkahiwalay iyan. Pero walang [koneksyon sa Indonesia] iyan, nagkataon lang na sabay-sabay," Solidum said. Thousands of Indonesians have been trying to pick up the pieces of their lives after last Saturday's 6.3-magnitude quake that ravaged Java Island. Authorities pegged the death toll as of posting time at some 4,300 deaths, while about 200,000 people were left homeless. A day after the killer quake in Indonesia, Phivolcs officials reported an intensity 5.3 earthquake in Babuyan Islands in the northernmost region of the Philippines. Residents in Cagayan Valley felt an intensity 4 earthquake, while an intensity 2 quake was felt in Laoag City in Ilocos Norte. In all of the earthquakes that hit the Philippines since Sunday, government officials have not reported any casualties or damage to property. However, Solidum said Monday morning that the quakes in Cagayan de Oro and Bohol should not be cause for concern, since the Philippines experiences up to 20 minor earthquakes a day. Most of the earthquakes in the Philippines are so weak they are not felt, Solidum said. News agencies reported last Sunday a magnitude-6.7 quake near the Pacific island of Tonga, and a separate 6.2-magnitude quake in Papua New Guinea. Solidum maintained the quakes experienced in these two countries and even in the Babuyan Islands were not related to the geologic activity in Indonesia. While he allayed fears of an impending disaster in the Philippines, Solidum urged the local government units to conduct regular earthquake drills. Disaster management officials at the Office of Civil Defense and National Disaster Coordinating Council have to "expand" their drills, the Phivolcs chief said. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the local government, meanwhile, should be stricter in issuing certifications for planners building structures on top of active faults. Solidum added that city and municipal engineers should be stricter in enforcing construction safety rules before granting building permits.-GMANews.TV