• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Negros Occidental provincial government is set to conduct a provincewide structural assessment of all its buildings after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) declared that the Negros Trench is capable of generating a magnitude 8.2 earthquake.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Tuesday, Oct. 28, that he will also ask local government units to do the same in their respective towns and cities.
During the press conference of the Department of Science and Technology Handa Pilipinas Expo 2025 (Visayas Leg) in Bacolod on Monday, Phivolcs director Teresito Bacolcol warned of the “magnitude 8.2 event, and if it is shallow, it could generate tsunami, and will affect the western coastlines of Negros and Panay, even Zamboanga and Palawan.”
The Negros Trench is an oceanic trench located northeast of the Sulu Trench and west of the Negros Island Region in the Visayas.
Last month, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit the northern portion of Cebu, which was also felt in Negros Island while Davao Oriental was jolted by a magnitude 7.4 quake.
“While we always hope that it will not happen, we should be prepared,” Lacson said.
Phivolcs records showed the Philippines experiences 30 earthquakes a day, and in most cases not felt by humans, but only recorded by its instruments.
Lacson said it is possible that the discovery of a sinkhole and ground cracks in Sipalay City, which is near the Negros Trench, was triggered by the earthquakes.
He noted that Sipalay City experiences more earthquakes compared to other localities in Negros Occidental. | GB
