19. TREMORS IN SURIGAO

TREMORS IN SURIGAO

Troy Alexander G. Miano, DPA

11 February 2017

The 2017 Surigao earthquake or 2017 Northeastern Mindanao earthquake which occurred yesterday, February 10, 2017, reminded me of my experience when the 1990 Luzon earthquake happened over a quarter of a century ago. I was in second year high school in La Salle Greenhills at Ortigas Avenue in Mandaluyong City when the strong earthquake occurred on July 16 at 4:26 p.m. on the densely populated island of Luzon. The shock had a surface wave magnitude of 7.8 and produced a 125 km-long ground rupture that stretched from Dingalan, Aurora to Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija. The event was a result of strike-slip movements along the Philippine Fault and the Digdig Fault within the Philippine Fault System. The earthquake's epicenter was near the town of Rizal, Nueva Ecija, northeast of Cabanatuan City. An estimated 1,621 people were killed, most of the fatalities located in Central Luzon and the Cordillera region.

This February’s earthquake occurred at 10:03 PST (Pacific Standard Time), with a moment magnitude of 6.7 and a maximum Intensity VII (Destructive) off the coast of Surigao del Norte in northern Mindanao. The earthquake was recorded by Phivolcs with the epicenter of the 6.7 magnitude-earthquake was at 9.80°N 125.35°E Coordinates: 9.80°N 125.35°E or 16 kilometers, north west of Surigao City. The earthquake was tectonic of origin. The most affected area in terms of Phivolcs Earthquake Intensity Scale (PEIS) was Surigao City which experienced an intensity of Intensity VII (Destructive). The United States Geological Survey reports the earthquake as having a magnitude of 6.5.

According to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, at least 300 houses in Surigao del Norte were damaged following the earthquake. Seven bridges collapsed, isolating San Francisco town. At least eleven towns were affected, experiencing power outages, thus, the government of Surigao City has declared a state of calamity.

In 2002, I visited a relative in Surigao City in KM7 Barangay Bonifacio, a first degree cousin of my dad in the Ybañez side who was a retired U.S. military personnel and a member of the Free and Accepted Masons. In my short stay in the city, I researched the history of the locality and how the name “Surigao” came to be.

According to local historians, there are many versions regarding the meaning of Surigao and how this was derived. Like Sulo, which means “sulog” or current, the name Surigao may have been originally coined from the Spanish word “surgir”, meaning swift current.

There is also a popular legend about Visayan fishermen who went adrift on a stormy day at the mouth of today's Surigao River. With boats wrecked, they were unable to sail back to sea. They were met by a docile village chieftain named Solibao who offered them his abode. The fishermen helped the chieftain procure food for the village's daily subsistence in exchange for his hospitality. One day, with much luck, they were able to paddle back home with the help of other fisherman who made it to the village they now named Solibao. Some of the men eventually returned and settled in the area. During the 15th century, Spanish galleons dropped anchor near the settlement and came ashore. The Spanish historian, worn from the long transpacific journey misheard the people when he asked where they were, and instead wrote in his diaries Surigao, referring to the land at the north-easternmost tip of Mindanao Island.

Present day Surigao originated from a site in the city proper formerly known as Bilang-Bilang where it served as a port of call for inter-island vessels. It was renamed “Banahao” which became an integral part of the old district of Caraga, a town founded on June 29, 1655. After Caolo, present day Siargao, burned in 1750, Surigao became the capital of the expansive geopolitical, ecclesiastical, and military district of Surigao which reached the fringes of Davao and would include today's provinces of Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, parts of Compostela Valley, Misamis Oriental, Davao del Norte and Davao Oriental. At the turn of the century in 1901, the American colonizers established a civil government in the province of Surigao, keeping the town of Surigao as its capital. On September 18, 1960, pursuant to the Republic Act 2786 dated June 19, 1960, the province of Surigao was divided into Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur. The town of Surigao was the capital of the new province of Surigao del Norte. Pursuant to Republic Act No. 6134, Surigao was converted to a chartered city on August 31, 1970.

Surigao province has also experienced a Magnitude 7.2 tremor in 1879 and 1893. This third Magnitude 7 shaking of the locality reminds not only the people of northeastern Mindanao including all of us to be prepared all the time. In the province of Isabela, the Provincial Public Safety Office has trice conducted an earthquake drill in 2016 for all sectors of society for the Isabeleños to be acquainted with the procedures and other preparedness measures for any eventuality.