KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 16 Dec) – A Magnitude 6.2 earthquake of tectonic origin rocked Soccsksargen region Wednesday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said.

PHIVOLCS’s Earthquake Information No. 2 released 8:40 a.m. Wednesday said the quake struck 7:21:50 a.m. with the epicenter recorded under the sea 86 kilometers south of Sarangani Island in Davao Occidental.

Its depth of focus was 16 km. In seismology, tremors with a depth of less than 70 km are classified as “shallow-focus earthquakes.”

The temblor was felt with an instrumental Intensity V in General Santos City, Intensity IV in Kiamba in Sarangani and Tupi and Koronadal City in South Cotabato and Intensity III in Alabel, Sarangani and Kidapawan City in North Cotabato.

In an advisory released through the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, GenSan Mayor Ronnel Rivera ordered the temporary suspension of work in all local government facilities until 1 p.m.

Rivera said the suspension will give time for the City Engineer’s Office to inspect the structural integrity of government facilities and other vital public infrastructure in the city.

PHIVOLCS said it was expecting damage and aftershocks due to the magnitude of the tremor. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)