PUPILS outside their classrooms following an earthquake on Wednesday morning in Davao region.
DAVAO CITY – Several schools in the Davao region suspended classes following a magnitude-6.4 earthquake that jolted the area at 11:02 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
Manay, Davao Oriental Mayor Jon Marco Dayanghirang suspended classes and work in all government offices until Jan. 8.
Dayanghirang said the suspension was imposed to ensure the safety of students and government workers.
The Department of Education-Davao Oriental reported that learners, teachers, and non-teaching personnel in the municipality of Manay promptly and safely vacated their classrooms and assembled at designated safer grounds when the earthquake struck.
It added that school personnel and learners remained calm and alert. “They observed proper precautionary measures, including staying away from windows, trees, and other potential hazards, demonstrating the effectiveness of regular earthquake drills conducted in schools,” DepEd-Davao Oriental said.
Classes were also suspended in the towns of Caraga and Tarragona.
In the neighboring province of Davao de Oro, classes and government work were suspended in the towns of Mabini, Nabunturan, and New Bataan.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the earthquake’s epicenter was 55 kilometers north-northeast of Manay, with a depth of 23 kilometers.
No tsunami was recorded but authorities warned of possible aftershocks and damage due to the earthquake.
Last Oct. 10, a doublet earthquake struck Manay – magnitude 7.4 and 6.7 – that killed 10 people and injured 1,000 others. Several infrastructure were damaged and nearly 40,000 homes damaged or destroyed.