After 3 weeks of earthquake swarm, face-to-face classes back in 3 Sultan Kudarat towns
TACURONG CITY (MindaNews / 9 February) – After three weeks of suspension due to an earthquake swarm, face-to-face classes in all levels resumed Monday in the three coastal towns of Sultan Kudarat.
An earthquake swarm is a sequence of many small-to-moderate earthquakes in a specific area over a short time (days to months) without a single, dominant mainshock.
Gov. Datu Pax Ali Mangudadatu lifted the modular learning arrangements in the towns of Kalamansig, Lebak and Palimbang (KALEPA) and directed the resumption of regular classes in public and private schools there.
“Recent assessments and reports from concerned authorities … indicate that conditions in the KALEPA area have stabilized and are now safe for the conduct of face-to-face classes,” he said in Executive Order 103 Series of 2026.
He noted the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) and the Department of Education, among others, conducted safety assessments and building integrity inspections in all schools in the affected towns before he lifted the suspension of classes.
Mangudadatu said there is a need to restore normal educational operations to ensure effective teaching and learning between teachers and students.
The governor directed the PDRRMO, in coordination with the municipal disaster risk reduction and management offices, and the schools division office, to continue monitoring closely the situation.
The local government units in KALEPA followed the directive issued by Mangudadatu last Saturday.
In a public advisory, the Palimbang LGU, headed by Mayor Myrna Kapina, advised all students to go back to school and follow the safety guidelines issued by school officials.
Classes, as well as work in government offices (except those in frontline services such as disaster responders and health workers), in the KALEPA area were disrupted following the earthquake swarm recorded off the shores of Kalamansig town beginning January 19.
The suspension of work in government offices, however, was not as long as the suspension of classes.
From January 19 up to February 3, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said the earthquake swarm totaled 3,319 quakes. In a media advisory, PHIVOLCS said that of the number, 1,010 quakes were plotted by its monitoring stations, of which 114 were felt as of 8 a.m. on February 3. The recorded magnitude ranges from 1.3 to 5.9.
Mangudadatu said the provincial government recorded about 11,600 families or around 35,000 individuals affected by the quakes in the KALEPA area.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development Region-12 extended food assistance to those affected by the earthquakes, which triggered the preemptive evacuation of residents at some point. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
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