Two strong earthquakes shook Mindanao on Friday, October 10, with a magnitude 6.8 tremor striking Davao Oriental only hours after a 7.4-magnitude quake rocked the province earlier in the day.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported that the 6.8-magnitude quake, tectonic in origin, struck at 7:12 pm, about 43 kilometers southeast of Manay, Davao Oriental, at a depth of 37 kilometers.
The agency initially recorded the tremor at magnitude 6.9 but later downgraded it after further analysis.
Phivolcs explained in its Friday briefing that earthquakes stronger than magnitude 6.4 count as separate events, not aftershocks of previous quakes.
Ground shaking reached intensity VI in Manay and intensity V in Baganga, Boston, Caraga, Cateel, and Tarragona—all in Davao Oriental.
Residents in Davao City, Mati City, Bislig City, and several towns in Davao de Oro felt intensity IV, while weaker tremors reached Leyte, Southern Leyte, and Northern Samar.
Phivolcs issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas in Surigao del Sur, Davao Oriental, and Surigao del Norte, urging residents to move to higher ground or farther inland.
The agency projected the first tsunami waves to arrive between 7:12 pm and 9:12 pm and warned that wave activity could continue for several hours.
Authorities said that they are coordinating with local governments and maintained heightened alert as aftershocks and additional tremors remained possible.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, maintains a personal blog on Medium, and is the communications officer of Hope Builders Organization Negros Island.