SAN JOSE, Antique – Three days prior to the second quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (SMED), Antique’s earthquake readiness was tested.
A magnitude 4.8 quake shook parts of Antique on Monday around 7:49 p.m.
It was tectonic in origin, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
In a virtual press conference on Tuesday, Antique Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) head Broderick Train said the epicenter of the earthquake was the northern municipality of Valderrama, citing information from Phivolcs.
“Antique is susceptible to earthquakes because of its proximity to the Mindoro and Negros trenches, which are active,” Train said.
Antique also lies along the West Panay fault, which experiences earth movement from time to time, he added.
The PDRRMO has not received reports of any damage from the municipalities.
There was also no evacuation of families living in landslide-prone areas of Valderrama.
Aside from Valderrama, Intensity III was also felt in San Jose and Intensity II in Culasi towns.
Magnitude measures the energy released from the source of the quake while intensity measures the strength of shaking produced by the earthquake at a certain location.
Train said it is important for people to always be ready and know when there’s an earthquake.
Despite the pandemic, the provincial government is participating in the NSED in the morning of June 10.
“We will have a virtual earthquake drill. We hope the community could participate,” he said. (Annabel Consuelo Petinglay, PNA/PN)
