13/10/2025
NEW OVERNIGHT: Doublet Quake rattles magnitude 7.4 and M6 in Davao Oriental and Surigao del Sur; minorly shaken felt in Negros Island Region
(Written by Molly McGee & Scott Denoga / Chief News Editor of The Brighton Bugle & Ankama News Correspondent and News Reporter of Disney XD News)
MANAY, DAVAO ORIENTAL -- Two significant offshore earthquakes in the northeast and southeast archipelago of Mindanao rattling the waters near the epicenter municipalities of 'Manay, Davao Oriental' and 'Cagwait, Surigao del Sur' caused by movement along the Philippine Trench, which is currently part of the "Pacific Ring of Fire". The tremors occurred Friday morning and Saturday nights (October 10th and 11th, 2025 -- Davao local time). A tsunami warning was briefly issued for the offshore area of Davao Oriental early that past weekend. The Brighton Bugle made the long trip, flying from our American home base in the Quad Cities of Iowa to 'Davao City, Davao del Sur' before traveling by bus to Manay to cover the primary event. Meanwhile, our regional colleagues at Disney XD News in Negros Oriental are heading to Sibulan to assess reports of a minor local tremor.
One of the first major events was a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck off here in Davao Oriental at approximately 9:45am with a focal depth of 23 kilometers, which led to an observed Earthquake Intensity Scale (EIS) from Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) was the only regular intensity #6 alone. Reported in several areas for regular intensity #5, including 7 municipalities in Davao de Oro; 11 municipalities/cities in Davao del Norte (including Tagum City); the entire Metro Davao area; Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental; 4 municipalities/cities in Davao Oriental (including Mati City); 2 areas in Cotabato (formerly North Cotabato); 3 areas in Sarangani and South Cotabato (including Koronadal City); the cities of General Santos and Cagayan de Oro; Claveria, Misamis Oriental; Butuan City; 3 areas in Surigao del Norte; 4 areas in Surigao del Sur; and Digos City, Davao del Sur.
Also for regular intensity #4 are in Talisay City, Cebu; the entire Tacloban area; 2 areas in Bukidnon; Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental; 8 areas in Davao del Sur; 2 areas in Davao Occidental; 11 areas in Cotabato; 3 areas in Sarangani and South Cotabato; 2 areas in Sultan Kudarat; 4 areas in Surigao del Norte (including Surigao City); Cotabato City; 8 areas in Bohol (including Mabini for the 20th anniversary of the food poisoning incident this year); and 2 areas in Surigao del Sur.
In regular intensity #3, the full individual cities consist of Iloilo and Metro Cebu, with 14 in Cebu, 17 in Eastern Samar, 41 in Leyte, the complete city of Metro Ormoc, 3 in Northern Samar, 6 in Samar (which includes Catbalogan), 19 in Southern Leyte (including Maasin City), 2 in Bukidnon (which includes Malaybalay), the entire city of Iligan, the whole municipality of Sarangani in Davao Occidental, 2 in Cotabato, the entire municipality of Maasim in Sarangani, 4 in South Cotabato, 10 in Sultan Kudarat, and 18 in Bohol (including Jagna).
While regular intensity #2 consists of 2 in Sorsogon, 10 in the Cebu Province (including Bogo), Dumaguete & Sibulan in Negros Oriental, Culaba in Biliran, the city of Zamboanga, the municipality of Dimataling in Zamboanga del Sur, the city of Tangub in Misamis Occidental, 3 in Cotabato, and Lake Sebu in South Cotabato. Concluding off with regular intensity #1 consists of the municipality of Magallanes in Sorsogon, the city of Roxas in Capiz, Himamaylan in Negros Occidental, 13 in Cebu Province (including Daanbantayan & Lapu-Lapu), and Jolo in Sulu.
The instrumental intensities listed at #5 are Southern Leyte, Misamis Oriental, Davao de Oro, Metro Davao, Davao Occidental, Cotabato, Sarangani, South Cotabato and Davao del Sur. At #4... We have Metro Cebu, Eastern Samar, Leyte Province, Southern Leyte, Zamboanga del Sur (including Molave), Bukidnon (including Malaybalay), Cagayan de Oro, Davao del Sur, Cotabato, Sarangani, South Cotabato, General Santos, Sultan Kudarat, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte (including Surigao City), and Surigao del Sur (featuring Bislig).
Then at #3... We also have Cebu, Eastern Samar, Leyte Province, Ormoc, Northern Samar, Samar (including Catbalogan), Southern Leyte (including Maasin City), Bukidnon, Camiguin, Cotabato, Sarangani (including Maasim), South Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat. Following at #2... We have Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar Province, Southern Leyte, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga City, Misamis Oriental, Cotabato, and Surigao del Sur. Lastly at #1 goes to Sorsogon City, Capiz Province, Metro Iloilo, Biliran, Leyte, Zamboanga del Norte (including Dipolog), and Lanao del Norte.
In addition to the doublet, a special minor local quakes were recorded there in the archipelago of Visayas with a magnitude 1.8 off Hinoba-an in Negros Occidental with 23 kilometers deep, and another in 'Siaton, Negros Oriental' struck a magnitude 2.6, also 9km deep. Both are an average of magnitude 2.2 on Saturday early morning only. No aftershocks or damages were immediately reported for these smaller events. But on that night around 10:33pm, another earthquake occurred with the epicenter waters in the municipality of 'Cagwait, Surigao del Sur' with 10km deep rocks magnitude 6 overnight.
Surigao del Sur's overnight quake of magnitude 6 is between the two for regular intensity #4. Along few of the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Davao and Butuan. While regular intensity 3 consists of Abuyog in Leyte Province, 4 in Southern Leyte & Bukidnon (including Silago & Malaybalay), the city of Bislig in Surigao del Sur, and the city of Mati in Davao Oriental. Wrapping it off with regular intensity #2 belong to 5 in the Leyte Province, the city of Catbalogan in Samar, the municipality of Sogod in Southern Leyte, the municipality of Libona in Bukidnon, 2 in Misamis Oriental (including Gingoog City), and the city of Surigao in Surigao del Norte. There are no reports for regular intensity #1.
Also on that same region's instrumental intensity #4 rocks Southern Leyte, Agusan del Norte, Davao De Oro, and Surigao del Sur. Following at #3... We have Leyte Province, Southern Leyte, Bukidnon, Davao del Sur (including Digos City), Misamis Oriental (including Gingoog City), Sarangani, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur. At #2... We have Leyte Province and Southern Leyte. Lastly at #1, is just the lone province of Leyte.
Local FM radio stations like Brigada News FM felt the effects of both major quakes during their LIVE broadcasts on Facebook (social corporate parent company of 'Meta Platforms Inc.' [MPi]). But this time in Cagwait last night from our news crew of 'Disney XD News', there will be a lighter quake from Surigao del Sur that only affects the selected areas of Negros Island Region (NIR).
So to speak, the events in Manay-Cagwait take place after the severe magnitude 6.9 earthquake that affected 'Bogo, Cebu' just weeks before September 30th, influenced by the unsettling, predictive, and coincidental song of the American rock band 'Green Day'. PHIVOLCS verified these occurrences, now projectedly dubbed as the "doublet earthquake"; a pair of (2) distinct, large magnitude quakes that happened in close space and time individually caused by tectonic activity in the southeast waters of the Philippine Trench. In part, Eastern Indonesia suffers a part of the doublet quake in the locations of North Sulawesi and North Maluku.
The total number of people killed during the Manay earthquake now stands at approximately 8 people, but is likely to vary. Over 800 aftershocks have been recorded by Manay alone. Incidentally, the death toll of the 'Bogo, Cebu' quake has been confirmed and the final total number of aftershock hit almost 10,000. PHIVOLCS and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) caution that the Surigao del Sur region with relatively few reported aftershocks recently is likely to double its number in the coming week.
Negrenses have responded swiftly to the Bogo victims, giving them aid and more than PHP1 million in the form of food, water and shelter. The country has come together to assist the victims of the doublet earthquake following the unfortunate happenings of the previous month. Philippine president 'Ferdinand Romualdez "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.' is expected to order round-the-clock rescue and relief operations throughout October of this year. Tragically, the Christmas and New Year's celebrations have been partially canceled for those only if you're in Bogo City, and two separate municipalities of Manay and Cagwait.
The Philippines has had a very hard time over the last few weeks, which is technically a total ground zero in the Visayas and Mindanao. Along the coasts of Bogo to Surigao del Sur, these sequence-on-sequence quakes, and in particular this 2-in-one quake, are closing in on reminding us just how strong and vindictive nature can be. The strength cannot be denied, and the need is huge. The immediate reaction of neighboring provinces, such as Negros, although still grappling with their complications, demonstrates the real meaning of bayanihan.
Safety has now become the number one priority, and the newspaper teams will continue to monitor the recovery process, however protracted it will be. At Disney XD News and The Brighton Bugle, we are all thinking of all the families that are weeping their very condolences, as well as those that have lost their homes completely.
PHOTO COURTESY: PHIVOLCS
BACKGROUND PROVIDED BY: Tegna
(Source links are only available on our news website.)
-- OneNETnews Online Publication Team
