FRESH TREMORS. (Clockwise from top) A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck Zambales Saturday afternoon.
The tremor, also felt in Manila, prompted UST students in Manila to rush to open grounds. In Davao Oriental, residents who slept outdoors after two major earthquakes hit off the coast of Manay town Friday again suffered another tremor, this time a magnitude 5.8 Saturday evening. Government officials led by DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara and DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian inspected quake-affected areas in Davao Oriental on Saturday. AFP / FB page of The Varsitarian / Adonis Laurente
DEADLIEST EARTHQUAKES TO HIT PH Moro Gulf (Aug. 17, 1976) • Magnitude 8.1 tsunamigenic earthquake left as many as 5,000 fatalities • Generated by the Cotabato trench
Luzon (July 16, 1990)
• Magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Rizal, Nueva Ecija, and produced a 120-kilometer-long ground rupture along the Digdig segment of the Philippine Fault • At least 1,200 died, with the highest number of fatalities logged in Baguio, Cabanatuan, and Dagupan
Casiguran (Aug. 2, 1968) VOL. XXXIX • NO. 236 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES OCTOBER 12, 2025
20 .00
IN ME
MAN TRO ILA
Bohol (Oct. 15, 2013)
Relocate 44 houses along Bogo Bay Fault — Phivolcs By Maricel Cruz THE Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology pushed for the relocation of 44 households along the newly-named Bogo Bay Fault that generated the deadly magnitude-6.9 earthquake that hit Cebu provinces and neighboring areas on September 30, 2025. According to Bogo City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Rex Leoben Ygot, the fault system identified by PHIVOLCS traverses three barangays — Libertad, Nailon, and Dakit.
PBBM orders 24/7 rescue, relief operations
By Cherrie Anne Villahermosa, Charles Dantes, Rex Espiritu and Maricel Cruz
A
MAGNITUDE 5.0 earthquake was recorded in Zambales yesterday afternoon, followed by a fresh magnitude 5.8 tectonic tremor that struck the waters off Davao Oriental less than an hour later.
Turn to Page 4
The Zambales tremor, which was also felt in parts of Metro Manila, was recorded at 5:32 p.m. and was possibly caused by a movement along the Manila Trench, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. Yesterday’s Davao Oriental quake, logged at 6:27 p.m., had an epicenter spotted 62 kilometers southeast of Manay town that was still reeling from the magnitudes
Israel ceases fire, Gazans return home WORLD / A4
Solons to ICI: Open hearings to public NEWS / A2
Lacson: Return 80% of stolen funds for shorter jail time By Joel E. Zurbano RETRIBUTION combined with restitution ought to be the guiding principle for the government when addressing the misconduct of officials and contractors involved in irregular flood control and other infrastructure initiatives, according to Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson. Lacson said the approach will allow those convicted to receive shortened jail terms if they return at least 80 percent of the stolen public funds. Turn to Page 4
7.4 and 6.7 tremors that hit the area within hours of each other on Friday. Phivolcs said the recent quakes in the past two weeks were all not related to each other. The Cebu tremor on Sept. 30 that killed 75 people was triggered by the Bogo Bay Fault, while the La Union quake on Oct. 9 was caused by the Philippine Fault.
On Friday, the magnitude 7.4 Manay quake was generated by movements along the Philippine Trench, while the magnitude 6.7 was tectonic. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered government agencies to sustain rescue and relief operations in areas hit by the earthquakes that struck Davao Oriental, which left at least eight people dead. “The President’s paramount concern is the safety and well-being of our people in the earthquake-struck areas. On the instructions of the President, all concerned frontline agencies were tasked to work round the clock to provide rescue and relief operations,” Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Dave Gomez
said in a statement. Key Cabinet officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Education (DepEd), and the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) conducted an on-site inspection in Davao Oriental on Saturday. DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, along with DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara, and MinDA Chairperson Leo Magno, visited affected communities to check on the effects of the tremors on infrastructure, such as roads and school buildings. Turn to Page 4
Why Cebu’s M6.9 quake was more destructive than Davao’s M7.4 By Ratziel San Juan
WORLD / A4
• Magnitude 7.2 earthquake killed at least 222 people • Centuries-old churches in Bohol and Cebu crumbled
Fresh tremors strike Zambales, Davao Or. www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
Trump slaps fresh 100% China tariff
• Magnitude-7.3 tremor shook Casiguran and some areas in Luzon, including Manila, where the ill-fated Ruby Tower Apartments in Binondo collapsed, killing 268 tenants
IN TERMS of both casualties and damage, the 6.9-magnitude earthquake in Cebu that took place on September 30 was far more destructive than the stronger 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Davao Oriental on October 10 — even with the latter being followed by a 6.8-magnitude twin quake the same day. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Coun-
cil’s (NDRRMC) October 11 situation reports on both incidents, the Cebu earthquake has since recorded at least 74 deaths and 559 injuries, on top of 201,245 affected families (722,919 individuals). The Davao Oriental quakes, in comparison, left at least seven deaths and 11 injuries, on top of 3,519 affected families (8,436 individuals) as of writing. This could seem unusual at a glance -an earthquake with a higher magnitude should theoretically be more destructive.
Fittingly enough, the answer lies beneath the surface. Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Director Teresito Bacolcol on Saturday explained that an earthquake’s depth ultimately impacts how devastating its consequences will be. “If we assess the impact, what happened in Cebu was more destructive than Davao. Because the one in Cebu, the earthquake’s depth was five kilometers.
The one in Davao was 23 kilometers,”Bacolcol said in a mix of English and Filipino during a news forum. “This is because the seismic energy, as it travels from the source underground, will rise... as it goes up, its strength becomes weaker.” “So, if it’s 23 kilometers, once it reaches the surface, it’s not as strong, and if it only runs upward for five kilometers, the seismic energy remains stronger once it reaches the top,” he added.
CBCP: Wear white for accountability, prayer for healing amid calamities THE Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has urged the faithful to wear white every Sunday in October and November and display white ribbons as a prayer for the nation’s renewal amid corruption issues and recent calamities. In a circular issued Saturday, CBCP president Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David directed all dioceses to observe a national period of prayer and repentance. He said the use of white clothing and ribbons represents the people’s plea “for transparency, accountability, and good governance.” The gesture likewise expresses “a humble prayer that our nation may be washed clean and renewed in God’s mercy, and spared of further calamities,” David said. Turn to Page 4
manilastandard.net
@ManilaStandardPH
@mnlstandardph
Catholic devotees, priests, and nuns lead the Vicariate of Our Lady of Loreto march at Mendiola, dubbed ‘Lakad para sa Katarungan Laban sa Korapsyon’ on Saturday, October 11, 2025. Danny Pata and Norman Cruz
@manilastandard
@ManilaStandardYT
Missed your copy of Manila Standard? Call or text our Circulation Hotline at 0917-8848655 or email: circulation@manilastandard.net . For advertisement: email: advertise@manilastandard.net •09173382170 / 85646229