Tremor hits Mindanao

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippine (Mindanao Examiner / January 15, 2010) - A 5.3-magnitude earthquake rocked some parts of Mindanao on Friday, but no one was reported injured nor killed, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.

Engineer Hermes Daquipa, of the local office of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said the tremor occurred at around 8:07 a.m. in many parts of Mindanao, particularly in Tagum City.

He said the epicenter of the quake was traced about 32 kilometers east of Tagum, a city in Davao Oriental province.

The tremor was also felt in North Cotabato province, Davao del Norte and General Santos City. Police and military authorities in Mindanao said there were no reports of damage to properties or injury.

On Tuesday, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti and the scale of the disaster remained unclear, although other reports said as many as half a million people are feared dead from collapsed buildings.

President Gloria Arroyo ordered the Philippines Ambassador to Cuba, MacArthur Corsino, to assist the rescue operations in Haiti, where some 172 Filipino are serving as members of the United Nations peace keeping force.

Three Filipino peace keepers – Army Sergeant Estacio Bermudez, Navy man Perly Tanagui and Air Force Sergeant

Jermis Arcena - are still trapped in the rubble of the collapsed Christopher Hotel, the military said. (Geo Solmerano)