Magnitude 5.8 aftershock rattles northern Cebu

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said the magnitude 5.8 quake struck northern Cebu in the wee hours of Monday, Oct. 13, causing power outages and minor landslides and triggering panic among worried and weary residents.

- By MARTIN SADONGDONG and JEL SANTOS

OCD Deputy Administrator for Administration Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said the quake was an aftershock of the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that jolted Cebu and neighboring provinces last Sept. 30.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the tremor occurred at 1:06 a.m. with its epicenter located 14 kilometers south and 13 kilometers west of Bogo City at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers. It was tectonic in origin, which means that it was caused by the movement of rock layers beneath the Earth's crust.

"The initial assessment shows that the shaking was strong even though it was an aftershock. It was not a separate earthquake, based on the initial finding of Phivolcs," Alejandro said.

The temblor woke up residents who were in deep slumber and forced them to go out of their homes to seek refuge.

"Last night, many residents went out of their homes. Many are still sleeping outside because there have already been almost 11,000 aftershocks. These continue to occur so our advice is to remain alert as strong aftershocks are still expected due to the Sept. 30 earthquake," Alejandro noted.

As of 6 a.m. Monday, power was knocked out in areas covered by the Cebu Electric Cooperative 2 (CEBECO 2), including Bogo City. The quake spared the power supply in the island municipalities of Bantayan, Madridejos, and Santa Fe, which remained energized.

Alejandro said the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and other power sector partners have begun conducting assessments to determine the timeline for full restoration of electricity.