Sultan Kudarat suspends work, classes due to Magnitude 5.2 quake

KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 20 January) — Work and classes in Sultan Kudarat province were suspended following a Magnitude 5.2 quake that jolted parts of the province before dawn Tuesday.

Epicenter of the January 20 Magntude 5.2 quake. Illustration courtesy of PHIVOLCS

Sultan Kudarat Gov. Datu Pax Ali Mangudadatu issued Executive Order 92 directing the suspension of all classes and work in public and private institutions as safety response to the temblor.

“It is necessary to suspend all classes and work across public and private institutions to prioritize emergency assessments, rescue operations, and restoration of essential services,” he stated.

The epicenter of the 3 a.m. quake (first reported by PHIVOLCS at Magnitude 5.3 but corrected to 5.2 shortly after) struck 44 kilometers southwest of the coastal town of Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat with a depth of 2 kilometers. The tremor was tectonic in origin.

The quake was recorded at Intensity IV in Kalamansig in Sultan Kudarat.

Areas with recorded Intensity III quake include Kiamba and Maitum in Sarangani; Santo Niño, T’Boli, Norala, Surallah and Tupi in South Cotabato; and Isulan in Sultan Kudarat.

At Intensity II were M’lang, Cotabato; City of Digos, Davao del Sur; Maasim, Malungon, and Alabel in Sarangani; Tampakan, Tantangan, and Banga in South Cotabato; Bagumbayan, and Esperanza in Sultan Kudarat.

Intensity I was recorded in Sta. Maria, Davao Occidental; Malapatan in Sarangani; Columbio in Sultan Kudarat; and Zamboanga City.

Mangudadatu directed the activation of the Provincial Emergency Operations Center to coordinate with national and regional disaster authorities, police, fire, health and humanitarian organizations.

The suspension order covering Sultan Kudarat’s 11 municipalities and the component city of Tacurong takes effect for one day unless extended, he said.

Desiree Bartolome, chief of the Operations and Warning Section under the Kalamansig Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said in a phone interview there was no reported fatalities or injuries in the locality due to the earthquake.

However, there was a reported damage that is still being assessed by local building safety workers, she added.

PHIVOLCS recorded several aftershocks of the 3 a.m. quake. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)