Disaster Fact Checks

FACT CHECK: Cagayan de Oro, Tagoloan not next in line for earthquake

Rappler.com

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FACT CHECK: Cagayan de Oro, Tagoloan not next in line for earthquake
The claim continues to be circulated on social media despite it being debunked earlier

Claim: A Facebook post claimed that a Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) regional director said that the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Tagoloan are prone to an earthquake, as they lie along an active fault line. The post also claims that Philippine fault lines can generate up to magnitude 8 earthquakes.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: This is not the first time this claim was made. The claim had already made the rounds online as early as October 2019. The most recent fact-check on this claim was written last January 7. The Department of National Defense Office of Civil Defense (DND-OCD) in the Zamboanga Peninsula posted an official statement debunking this claim, and Phivolcs had also previously debunked the claim in an April 2022 post.

No official statement. The DND-OCD denied that the information mentioned in the text came from their office. Phivolcs also denied that the message had come from them.

Earthquakes are unpredictable. Even if the material of fault lines can contribute to the increased magnitude of an earthquake, there is no scientific way to predict when earthquakes will occur.

Fault lines. Phivolcs said that there are no active fault lines in Cagayan de Oro although a Tagoloan River fault exists.

The best practice is to be prepared when an earthquake does strike. An earthquake preparedness checklist can keep you and your family ready. – Matthew G. Yuching/Rappler.com

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. You may also report dubious claims to #FactsFirstPH tipline by messaging Rappler on Facebook or Newsbreak via Twitter direct message.

You may also report through our Viber fact check chatbot. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.

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