The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) denied on Wednesday, August 10, that it issued a warning about the possible occurrence of strong earthquakes with magnitudes 7.2 and 6.3 that may hit Cagayan de Oro City.
The OCD in Zamboanga Peninsula (OCD-9) said there was no advisory of such earthquakes issued by the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC-9) or OCD-9 Regional Director Ramon Ochotorena, whether through social media or via text messaging.
“Hanggang ngayon, inuulit ng tanggapang ito, kaakibat ng DOST-PHIVOLCS , na wala pang teknolohiya sa mundo na makakapagdetect at makakatiyak kung kailan o saan mangyayari ang isang lindol (Until now, this office reiterates that, in partnership with DOST-PHIVOLCS, there is no technology in the world that can detect or predict exactly when or where an earthquake will strike),” the OCD-9 stated.
Residents in Cagayan de Oro City were concerned after several posts on social media circulated recently, saying that the OCD-9 issued a warning about the possible occurrence of magnitude 7.2 and 6.3 earthquakes in Cagayan de Oro City and Tagoloan town.
The social media post, which has also been passed on to various messaging applications, mentioned a supposed radio interview of an unnamed Phivolcs director as a basis for the claims.
According to the post, the earthquakes might trigger a tsunami that could reach a 15-storey building.
However, the OCD maintained that no such advisory was released by their office.
“Subalit nais naming hikayatin ang publikco na maging handa sa anumang oras kung sakaling may mangyaring mga pagyanig o anumang sakuna (However, we want to urge the public to be prepared in case an earthquake or any calamity strikes),” the OCD Region 9 said.
The Philippines is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region around the Pacific Ocean’s rim where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur.
Last July 27, a powerful magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Abra and nearby provinces in Northern Luzon, killing 11 people and injuring 574 others.