LAOAG CITY”•A magnitude-4.4 earthquake rattled the residents of Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte at 7:28 a.m. Monday, state seismologists said.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the quake was tectonic in origin with a depth of 33 kilometers, and its epicenter was 45 kilometers northwest of Pagudpud.
Intensity II was felt in neighboring Claveria town in Cagayan and Intensity I in Laoag City.
Phivolcs said there were no aftershocks or damage.
Thomas Orbos, acting chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority, said alertness and the role of barangay officials and community leaders would be a big help in lessening the number of casualties in the event “The Big One” struck Metro Manila.
“The barangay chairmen should have an inventory of doctors in their area, and they should have a list of available items for survival,” Orbos said.
He made the statement a few days after the Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council convened and discussed readiness measures should The Big One strike anytime soon.
Meanwhile, with help from South Korea, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration will soon install a flood early warning system in Metro Manila to reduce the impact of severe floods.
Under the Korean International Cooperation Agency’s early warning system 3 project, the weather bureau will put up an additional rainfall and water level station, a closed-circuit television and warning posts for an enhanced monitoring of the hydrological condition and warning of the Pasig-Marikina river basin.
The project will expand the flood early warning system for Metro Manila, wherein similar network of monitoring stations, CCTVs and warning posts will also be installed at the Tullahan River basin. With Joel E. Zurbano and Rio N. Araja