Quake damages infrastructure in Southern Leyte

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — The 5.7 magnitude earthquake that shook Southern Leyte this week has damaged buildings, roads and water systems in the towns of Anahawan and San Juan, the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) Friday reported. No casualties were reported, however, said OCD regional director Angel Gaviola. The tremor-triggered landslides Wednesday morning near the Energy Development Corp. geothermal plant in Dayanog village, San Juan, Southern Leyte and covered some agricultural land in the area. The Municipal Disaster Coordinating Council estimated the damaged to infrastructure at P40 million in San Juan town alone. Cracks have appeared in school buildings in 18 villages of San Juan since the tremor, according to initial reports. Among those damaged are the Infotech building of the Southern Leyte State University (SLSU)-San Juan campus and the San Juan National High School (SNHS). Cracks were also noticed at the municipal hall in San Juan town and its glass panels were broken. "Damage was not so bad because there are no high-rise buildings in the area," Mr. Gaviola added. In Anahawan town, cracks were noted in some residential buildings and some concrete fences collapsed. Mr. Gaviola said the possible source of the quake was the Leyte segment of the Philippine fault zone located near Maasin City, the capital of Southern Leyte. Local government units in landslide-prone areas have been warned. Tremors were also reported this week in other parts of Eastern Visayas but there were no reports of damage. — Sarwell Q. Meniano, BusinessWorld