Gordon wants PHIVOLCS' quake data used to educate the public

Senator Richard Gordon on Saturday requested the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology to release its data on earthquakes to be used to "fully educate the people" on the condition of the areas affected by the recent deadly earthquakes in Mindanao.

A magnitude-6.3 earthquake first hit Mindanao on 16th October, followed by a magnitude-6.6 on the 29th and the latest at mag.-6.5 on the 31st.

"These consecutive catastrophes give us a cause to inform and prepare the public on the actual current situation as their safety is of utmost importance," Gordon, head of the Philippine Red Cross, said in a letter addressed to PHIVOLCS Director Renato Solidum, Jr.

In its situational report released Saturday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said that 17 people have died while two remained missing in the series of quakes in the southern Philippines. The latest tally of those injured stands at 327.

In his letter, Gordon asked the PHIVOLCS for an update on the seismic status of Mindanao, a historical data on earthquakes that occurred in the area for the past five years, and a seismic map of Mindanao and the Philippines.

"[W]e also have our chapters’ staff and volunteers deployed in those areas and it is important to us that we be informed on these matters because their safety is also important to us," Gordon said in his letter.  —Joahna Lei Casilao/LBG, GMA News