EVACUATION. People exit a building after a magnitude 5.4 earthquake jolts Ilocos Norte on Wednesday (Feb. 7, 2024). The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology traced the epicenter of the quake in Pagudpud town. (Photo from Phivolcs)
LAOAG CITY – A magnitude 5.4 earthquake was felt by residents in this northern part of Luzon at around 12:05 p.m. on Wednesday, state seismologists said.
The epicenter of the quake was located some 16 kilometers northwest of Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said, noting that it was tectonic in origin with a depth of 10 kilometers.
Some residents also felt Intensity 6 in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte and Intensity 4 in Sinait, Ilocos Sur, Phivolcs said.
Residents in these areas are advised to take precautionary measures as aftershocks are expected, authorities said, but noted that no damage has been recorded so far.
Class suspensions
Some schools in Ilocos Norte suspended classes on Wednesday as a precaution to aftershocks and to give authorities time to assess structures.
“We received the announcement from our Disaster Risk Reduction and Management coordinator at 12:44 and immediately, we instructed our students to go home,” Thelma Ruiz-Sacsac, a teacher of Luzon National High School in Barangay Baduang, Pagudpud town said in an interview.
In an advisory posted on the official Facebook page of the Department of Education (DepEd) in Ilocos Norte, schools division superintendent lawyer Donato Balderas Jr. said local chief executives shall decide on the cancellation or suspension of classes in cases where Earthquake Intensity IV and below have been declared by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
Based on DepEd guidelines, "school principals can also cancel classes at any intensity scale if, in their assessment, building and other structures are seen to be in danger of collapsing or are found to have major damage.”
“Be guided accordingly and observe extraordinary diligence at all times,” Balderas said in a statement released shortly after the earthquake.
Based on Phivolcs’ earthquake information No. 2, areas that experienced intensity IV and below are Magsingal in Ilocos Sur; Peñablanca, Claveria, and Gonzaga in Cagayan; Sinait and Vigan City in Ilocos Sur; City of Ilagan in Isabela; and Solsona in Ilocos Norte.
Structural integrity, earthquake results
Upon the conduct of inspection and assessment of the structural integrity of all school buildings and government offices within their localities, the Bacarra Engineering Office in Bacarra town has restricted getting in the interior and within the 10-meter radius of the old Bacarra bellower.
This, after the municipal engineering office observed visible progressive cracks at the eastern part, north upper tier, and west portion of the historic bell tower.
Meanwhile, the provincial government of Ilocos Norte, through its Communications and Media Office, called on the public to refrain from spreading false information regarding earthquakes and other hazards and to rely on official social media accounts for updates and announcements.
While people panicked to go out of the Capitol building during the earthquake, a female student of the Data Center College of Laoag, who is currently in an on-the-job-training at the Provincial Capitol, suffered sprain after she hurt her ankle while going downstairs to get out of the building. She was immediately brought to the Governor Roque B. Abad Sr. Memorial Hospital for treatment. (PNA)
