The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said no significant damage or casualty was reported after a magnitude 7.3 offshore earthquake hit Sarangani, Davao Occidental on Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 18.
Diego Agustin Mariano, head of OCD joint information center, said only "weak" intensities were felt by residents in the nearby areas affected by the temblor.
“Itong 7.3 magnitude na lindol ay offshore, wala po ito sa mismong landmass ng Pilipinas. Kung susukatin, nasa bandang 352 km away sa landmass ito, bandang nasa dagat ito (This magnitude 7.3 earthquake is offshore so it is not in the Philippine landmass. If we are to measure it, it is located at 352 km away from the landmass and near the sea),” Mariano said in a radio interview over dzBB.
“Sa ngayon wala pa po tayong damage or casualty na natanggap dahil mahina lang ang epekto nito (Right now, we have not received any reported damage or casualty because it has only weak effects),” he added.
The quake struck 352 km southeast of Sarangani, Davao Occidental at 2:06 p.m., according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
It was measured at Intensity II in Don Marcelino, Davao Occidental; Nabunturan, Davao de Oro; Glan and Kiamba in Sarangani; General Santos City, Tupi, Santo Nino, Koronadal City and T’Boli in South Cotabato.
Meanwhile, Intensity I was recorded in Kidapawan City, Cotabato; Maitum and Maasim in Sarangani; Tantangan, Lake Sebu, Tampakan, Suralla, and Norala in South Cotabato; Zamboanga City in Zamboanga del Sur.
There was also no threat of tsunami following the earthquake, according to Phivolcs.
Still, Mariano noted that the OCD was in constant coordination with the local civil defense offices in Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9), Davao Region (Region 11), and Soccsksargen (Region 12) to monitor the developments in the affected provinces.