A magnitude 6 earthquake struck San Julian, Eastern Samar on Monday afternoon, with initial assessments pointing to no significant structural damage despite the tremor being felt across multiple provinces.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded the tectonic event at 2:09 p.m., placing the epicenter 9 kilometers northwest of San Julian at a depth of 10 kilometers.
Ground shaking reached Intensity 5 in Can-avid, Dulag, Alangalang, and Gandara. Intensity 4 was felt in Abuyog, Palo, and Carigara, while Intensity 3 was recorded across Naval, Hernani, Ormoc City, Hilongos, Albuera, Baybay, Villaba, and Isabel. Shaking was also reported in parts of Southern Leyte, Sorsogon, Cebu, Iloilo, Masbate, and Davao Occidental.
Damage assessment in Eastern Samar remains ongoing. Randy Nicart of the Eastern Samar Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said field reports are still being gathered and verified. “There are some reports of minor damage, but these are still subject to validation,” he said.
At the epicenter, San Julian police chief Lt. Eduardo Sande described a controlled response at the municipal hall, where staff evacuated the building immediately after the shaking began. Minor cracks were observed at the police station, but the municipal hall itself sustained no reported damage.
“I was inside the municipal hall when the earthquake struck. Everyone immediately evacuated the building. We were able to apply what we learned during earthquake drills,” Sande said. Residents in concrete structures stayed outside for more than an hour following the tremor as a precaution.
Phivolcs has noted that the presence of the Philippine fault zone and associated lineaments puts at least 29 towns and cities in Eastern Visayas at ongoing seismic risk.
