Aftershocks continue to rattle north Cebu
CEBU CITY—Residents of northern Cebu, particularly in Bogo City, continue to endure aftershocks following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck the area on Sept. 30.
On Tuesday, a magnitude 3.9 quake hit Bogo at 8:44 a.m., sending Bogohanons already weary from the constant shaking out into open spaces anew.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported that the tectonic tremor, traced at a shallow depth of 1 kilometer, was located about 21 km southwest of the city. It was felt at Intensity 4 in Bogo and Intensity 3 in the nearby town of Tabuelan.
Phivolcs confirmed that the latest quake was an aftershock of the Sept. 30 magnitude 6.9 earthquake that devastated parts of northern Cebu. The agency added that no damage or additional aftershocks were expected.
Free health services
Residents, still reeling from the previous disaster, were again urged to remain alert and follow safety protocols amid the continuing seismic activity.
The City of Bogo Health Office, in partnership with various health agencies and local and international nongovernment organizations continued to serve the Bogohanons, particularly children, affected by the emotional experience last week, the city government said in a social media post Tuesday.
The free health services included general medical consultation, psychosocial counseling, sanitation hygiene and other services to help ease their “feelings of fear, danger and terror left by this tragedy,” it added.
The Sept. 30 quake caused widespread destruction and left some 75 people dead in northern Cebu, 32 of whom were from Bogo, the quake’s epicenter.
With numerous classrooms damaged or destroyed by the earlier quake and its aftershocks, classes remained suspended in Bogo City.
Volcano watch
Bogo Mayor Mayel Martinez met Tuesday with members of the City School Board, where they agreed to prioritize the use of the Special Education Fund to support teachers and students and prepare to implement modular learning as an alternative to in-person classes.
City personnel also continued distributing food packs and relief items to families displaced by the earthquake.
On nearby Negros Island, the recent earthquakes in Cebu may have caused fractures within Kanlaon Volcano due to strong ground shaking, according to Phivolcs officials.
But Phivolcs Volcano Monitoring and Eruption Prediction Division chief Ma. Antonia Bornas noted there were no significant changes in Kanlaon’s volcanic activity so far.
Bornas added that Phivolcs was investigating a newly discovered ground subsidence, or sinking of the earth’s surface, in Barangay Talaptap, La Castellana, Negros Occidental, near the volcano.
The hole, measuring 20 centimeters wide and 60 cm deep, poses low risk and does not affect traffic or livelihood but authorities have urged residents to immediately report any new cracks or ground shifts.
