GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 22 January) – Authorities enforced a preemptive evacuation for residents along the coastal villages of Kalamansig, Lebak and Palimbang (Kalepa) towns due to the series of weak to moderate quakes that jolted the area since the Magnitude 5.2 earthquake that struck last Tuesday, officials said.
Sultan Kudarat Gov. Datu Pax Ali Mangudadatu ordered the evacuations in the Kalepa area on Wednesday due to “credible risk” of tsunami in the coastal areas owing to the recent earthquakes and recurring aftershocks.
Mangudadatu also directed the suspension of classes in all levels and work in government offices in Kalepa on Thursday and the implementation of blended work-from-home arrangements in other parts of the province until further notice.
“The public is strongly advised to remain calm, vigilant, and alert, and to follow instructions from local authorities at all times,” he said in a statement.
Mangudadatu said the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, and the regional offices of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Office of Civil Defense have already coordinated to address the food and non-food needs of the evacuees.
He added the Sultan Kudarat Mobile Hospital was advised to strategically position in the contiguous Kalepa area to provide first aid services and basic medicines to the affected communities.
The governor said the Provincial Engineering Office and the Department of Public Works and Highways – Sultan Kudarat are ready for deployment for emergency repairs on public infrastructures that may be damaged by the tremors.
As of 11 p.m. Wednesday, Mangudadatu noted they have not monitored any significant damage on public utilities or individuals injured due to the quakes.
In Palimbang town, Mayor Myrna Casas Kapina said that aside from preemptive evacuation of residents in coastal barangays, the local government banned fishing boats from venturing into the seas as well as other sea-related activities such as swimming.
“Everyone is strongly advised to comply with this order for the safety and well-being of all,” she said in an advisory.
In Lebak municipality, Mayor Frederick Celestial said they prioritized the preemptive evacuation of senior citizens, persons with disability, pregnant mothers, and children.
The evacuations were enforced in the of barangays Kinudalan, Datu karon, Tran, Salaman, Taguisa and Tibpuan, he said.
In Kalamansig, Mayor Ronan Eugene Garcia said the preemptive evacuations affected residents living in 10 barangays.
In enforcing the preemptive evacuation, Garcia said the seismic activities since Tuesday, January 20, may trigger secondary hazards such as a series of aftershocks and possible tsunami threats, which could endanger lives and properties.
The epicenter of the 3 a.m. quake last Tuesday (first reported by PHIVOLCS at Magnitude 5.3 but corrected to 5.2 shortly after) struck 44 kilometers southwest of Kalamansig with a depth of two kilometers. The tremor was tectonic in origin.
On midnight of August 17, 1976, a devastating Magnitude 8.2 earthquake, triggered by the movement of the Cotabato Trench, caused a huge tsunami that hit the island of Mindanao, affecting 700 kilometers of coastline bordering the Moro Gulf.
Sultan Kudarat’s coastal towns were among those affected by the tsunami that reportedly killed some 8,000 individuals.
As of 10:31 a.m. Thursday, Kalamansig recorded at least 14 weak and moderate earthquakes, with the latest a Magnitude 3.4 quake located 46 kilometers southwest of the municipality, hitting at 9:50 a.m. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
