HINUNDAYAN, Southern Leyte – On early morning of May 17, residents of Hinunangan and Hinundayan were startled by the earthquake shakes that suddenly occurred.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PhilVocs), in its Earthquake Information bulletin on May 17, 2023 specified that Magnitude 4.4 happened southwest of Hinundayan.
A strong instrumental Intensity V was reported in Hinunangan town. Also recorded was Intensity IV in San Juan, Hinundayan, Hinunangan, and Anahawan; Intensity III in Silago; and Intensity II in Malitbog, Southern Leyte.
The earthquake is of Tectonic origin. Tectonic earthquakes are produced by sudden movement along faults and plate boundaries.
During the day, three tremors were felt in time difference: a magnitude 2 in Hinundayan at six o’clock and magnitude 3.5 at nine o’clock in the morning, followed by a magnitude 2.3 in Malitbog town at 7 o’clock.
Danilo L. Atienza, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer, said that there were no damages recorded during the continuous quakes in the province which started last May 4 to May 17, as of this writing.
PhilVolcs latest earthquake information stated that the quakes started on the first week of May; May 4 in Sogod town with a magnitude of 4.2, followed by magnitude 3.3 and 2.4 on May 7 and May 8.
On May 8, Tomas Oppus and Bontoc felt the 2.2 and 2.0 magnitude. A minimal quake happened in Maasin City with a magnitude of 1.7.
Earlier, the Office of Civil Defense in Eastern Visayas readies the public with a statement of the possibility of strong earthquakes, called “The Big One,” which could happen in the region.
On the Fault Line traversing the Philippines, PhilVocs have marked the towns in Southern Leyte as earthquake high-risk areas, namely: Sogod, Libagon, Liloan, Saint Bernard, and San Ricardo. That there is an active Central Leyte Fault line that starts from Leyte and ends in San Francisco, Southern Leyte. The Central Leyte Fault line is part of the Philippine Fault Zone with an estimated 1,200 kilometers long.
(RCabodbod)
Earthquake tremors alarm Pacific towners
