A magnitude 6.1 earthquake disrupted President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's speech in Tuguegarao City Tuesday morning. Radio dzMM reports saidArroyo was delivering a speech about the North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle, which is part of her “super regions” project, when the earthquake struck shortly before 11 A.M.. The report saidArroyo had to stop her speech and wait for the tremor to stop. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the quake's epicenter was traced at 130 kilometers northeast off Tuguegarao. It was felt at Intensity 5 in Santa Ana and Aparri towns in Cagayan province; Intensity 4 in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur; Intensity 3 in Pasuquin and Laoag City in Ilocos Norte and Palanan, Isabela province. It was also felt at intensity 2 in Delfin Albano, Isabela province and Intensity 1 at the Manila Ocean Park. The quake is so far the strongest to hit the country since January this year. The second strongest took place last Jan. 28 in Virac, Catanduanes, measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale. Phivolcs chief Renato Solidum clarified during an interview with ANC's Dateline Philippines that the latest earthquake to hit the country is not in any way related to the magnitude 8.8 quake in Chile. “We are both part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. That's the only relation. Faults in other parts of the world like those in Chile and here in the Philippines are moving from time to time. So it's just a coincidence,” Solidum said. The strong quake in Chile generated tsunamis, killing more than 700 people. Solidum said strong earthquakes also happen in the Philippines based on historical data, particularly the deadly magnitude 7.8 quake that struck in Northern Luzon in 1990. The Phivolcs would not say what is the estimated maximum magnitude of earthquake that may be generated form the same fault that runs along North Luzon, but insisted that the government has been making sure that all collapsible structures, including houses and buildings, are “made resistant for possible strong earthquakes.” – ABS
