The President considers all situations arising from natural disasters that have caused widespread destruction to lives and property a top concern.

Battered A 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit Kidapawan town, North Cotabato province, knocking off structures such as the Eva Building that was already weakened earlier by two previous deadly tremors that happened not two weeks ago. AFP

Earthquake-weary provinces of Mindanao suffered yesterday another powerful upheaval with a 6.5 magnitude temblor, which is the third in just 15 days, collapsing at least two multistory buildings, with at least two persons dead and several others still believed to have been trapped under the rubble.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported that the latest quake struck at 9:11 a.m. and was traced at 28 kilometers northeast of Tulunan, Cotabato with a depth of only six kilometers.

Phivolcs said Intensity VII was felt in Tulunan, Cotabato, Kidapawan City, Sta. Cruz, Matanao, Bansalan and Magsaysay, Davao del Sur, while Intensity VI in Tampakan, South Cotabato.

Intensity V was felt in General Santos City, Tupi, South Cotabato and Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, and Intensity IV in Lebak, Sultan Kudarat.

Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said President Rodrigo Duterte has already directed all agencies and responsible local government units to provide the necessary assistance and immediate relief to those affected by the latest quake.

In a statement, he assured that the government, through the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), is on top of the situation.

“The President considers all situations arising from natural disasters that have caused widespread destruction to lives and property a top concern,” Panelo said.

At the same time, the Palace official stressed the President was safe after the tremor and is now closely monitoring the situation. He was in his home in Davao City when the quake struck.

Serious test Rescuers assess the damage to a condominium building in the aftermath of the third earthquake that hit Mindanao in two weeks straining the resources of local governments in responding to the emergency. AFP

The Department of Energy (DoE), meanwhile, has activated Task Force Energy Resiliency (TFER) in light of the new movement.

Mindanao Geothermal Power Plant (MGPP) 1 and 2, with a total net generation of 94 megawatts, tripped at 9:11 a.m. of 31 October 2019 due to very high equipment vibrations.

The power transmission backbone in Mindanao remains intact, according to DoE. However, NGCP’s Kidapawan Substation suffered damage due to the said earthquake. Technical adjustments and shifting of load to Tacurong Substation were undertaken to restore transmission services to affected customers.

There are no other reports of transmission facilities or high-voltage equipment affected in the areas where the earthquake was felt.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte immediately rushed to the posh Ecoland 4000 Residences, which caved in as a result of the tremor.

The mayor personally supervised the inspection of the building where four residents were reported injured.

“I was preparing for an event at a mall in Toril when I received a call informing me that a condominium building collapsed. So, I went there directly,” Mayor Duterte said in a broadcast interview.

“We have ongoing inspections of road networks and government buildings,” she added.

On Wednesday, the mayor stressed that the City Engineer’s Office already advised the building administrator of Ecoland 4000 Residences to abandon the building. However, some renters have reportedly stayed on.

However, she said they cannot determine whether there were indeed people inside the building.

“We have the Incident Command Center in case there will be people who will look for their family members,” Mayor Duterte said.

In Kidapawan City, local officials reported that parts of Eva’s Hotel collapsed following the successive earthquakes.

Kidapawan Mayor Joseph Evangelista said no one was inside the hotel when the incident took place — apparently due to previous jolts.

A grocery store in Digos City, Triple F Store, also gave in, injuring at least two employees.

However, two fatalities were reported by the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Region 12. Authorities expect minimal casualties as almost the same areas were previously hit by the magnitude 6.3 tremor last 16 October and last Tuesday’s magnitude 6.6 quake that left more than a dozen people dead and hundreds of others injured.

Many affected people have been staying in makeshift shelters or tents following the two powerful earthquakes. Classes have also been suspended since Tuesday.