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Magnitude 5.5 quake rocks Quezon

Rhodina Villanueva - The Philippine Star

September 14, 2019 | 12:00am

Landbank of the Philippines employees, some wearing hard hats, gather in the open as they file out of their high-rise offices along Roxas Boulevard yesterday following a magnitude 5.5 earthquake that rocked several areas of the country including Metro Manila. Phivolcs said the quake was centered about 40 kilometers northeast of the coastal town of Burdeos, Quezon province and was caused by movement in a local fault at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Russell Palma

MANILA, Philippines — A magnitude 5.5 earthquake jolted yesterday Quezon province and was felt in several areas including Metro Manila, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

The initial earthquake bulletin showed that the tremor hit 40 kilometers northeast of Burdeos in Quezon at 4:38 p.m. The quake of tectonic origin had a depth of 10 kilometers.

The tremor was felt in Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte and Quezon City (Intensity IV); Tagaytay City, Guinyangan in Quezon and other portions of Quezon City (Intensity III).

Phivolcs said several Metro Manila cities also felt the tremor, which prompted a mass evacuation of students and employees from buildings.

Aside from Quezon City, the quake was also felt in other portions of Metro Manila: Makati, Pasay, Muntinlupa, Manila as well as Cainta, Rizal.

State seismologists warned they are expecting damage and aftershocks.

Train systems down, road jams

The quake prompted Metro Manila rail systems to halt operations, which resulted in congestion on several roads.

Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), which runs along EDSA between North Avenue and Taft Avenue, halted operations at 4:52 p.m. and was restarted minutes after.

The rail system, however, again briefly stopped at 5:24 p.m. as due to an aftershock, according to MRT operations director Michael Capati, and went back to normal at 5:29 p.m.

The management of the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2), which runs between Santolan in Pasig City and Recto in Manila, also disrupted the movement of its trains at 4:57 p.m. to give way for inspection on its structures.

Also, the LRT Line 1, running between Roosevelt and Baclaran, briefly suspended operations but resumed with trains running for only 25 kilometers per hour instead of the usual 40 kph speed.

The Philippine National Railways (PNR), running between Tutuban and Alabang, also stopped operations to inspect rail bridges.

The halt in movement of trains, particularly the LRT-2 and MRT-3, caused spillover of affected passengers as the quake happened during rush hour.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) meanwhile deployed two military trucks that would service stranded passengers along EDSA between Timog Avenue in Quezon City and Ayala Avenue in Makati City, and between Guadalupe Avenue in Makati City and Quezon Avenue in Quezon City. – Ghio Ong, Rey Galupo