Philippine Tsunamis&seiches Feb2014 MLPBautista Et Al PHIVOLCS PDF

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PHILIPPINE TSUNAMIS
AND SEICHES
(1589 to 2012)
Maria Leonila P. Bautista, Bartolome C. Bautista,

Joan C. Salcedo and Ishmael C. Narag
Department of Science and Technology

Philippine Institute of
Volcanology and Seismology
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Copyright 2012
Published by : Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS)
ISBN: 978-971-92395-1-2
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Contents
Abstract 5
Introduction 6
Data and Methodology 7
PART I: Tsunamis Caused by Local Earthquakes 9
A) Tsunamis affecting Northern Luzon coasts 11
B) Tsunamis in Western Luzon 16
C) Tsunamis affecting Metro Manila shoreline 25
D) Tsunamis affecting Eastern Luzon 30
E) Tsunamis in Mindoro Island 37
F) Tsunamis in Bicol peninsula 42
G) Tsunamis in the Visayan Region 44
H) Tsunamis in Mindanao 61
PART II: Tsunamis Caused by Earthquakes

from other Countries 83
PART III: Lake and River Seiches 87
Discussion of Results 96
Acknowledgment 101
References 101
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Abstract
This catalog is the first tsunami catalog for the Philippines. It presents the
results of the review of earthquake and tsunami reports from 1589 to 2012 derived
from historical records, previous catalogs and recent earthquake reports. From
the accounts, a total of 74 candidate events was selected but only 41
earthquake events are confirmed to have had associated and therefore positive
tsunamis. Each candidate historical event was evaluated based on eyewitnesses’
accounts, specificity of reports naming places affected and clarity of tsunami
description. The results of the review show that the areas affected by positive
tsunami and their years of occurrences are: Batan group of islands including
northern Luzon coasts (1970, 2000), western coast of Luzon (1924, 1934, 1983,
1990, 1999), Metro Manila shores (1828, 1863), Eastern Luzon (1880, 1937, 1968,
1970, 1973), Mindoro Island (1928, 1994), Bicol peninsula (1840), Visayan region
(1869, 1923, 1925, 1925, 1925, 1948, 1975, 1990, 1995, 2003, 2012, 2012), eastern
Mindanao (1921, 1924, 1929, 1952, 1992), western Mindanao (1897) and southern
Mindanao (1917, 1918, 1923, 1928, 1976, 2002). These events were triggered by
earthquakes with magnitudes between 5.5 to 8.3 and depths between 15 to 60
km and had tsunami heights between 1-9 m. The largest tsunami events occurred
at Celebes and Sulu Seas in southern Philippines. Some areas had been affected
by tsunami more than once and among these are the Celebes Sea area, Manila
Bay, Calauag Bay and Caraga Bay. Meantime, three transPacific tsunami events
are confirmed to have affected the Philippines. These were the 1960 Chile (Mag
9.5) earthquake that reportedly reached heights between 1-3 m in Hondagua,
Lopez and killed about 20 people although the places where these happened
were unspecified. The second event happened in February 27, 2010 with a
magnitude of 8.8. Some places in the eastern shores experienced unusual sea
level changes although no casualty was reported. The third occurred on March
11, 2011 when less than a meter high tsunami waves reached the eastern coast
of the Philippines after a Mag 9.0 occurred in the Tohoku region in eastern Honshu
Island, Japan.
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Introduction
Tsunamis are large sea waves caused by shallow earthquakes whose

epicenters are usually underwater, have large magnitudes and have significant
vertical displacements. Other causes of tsunamis are submarine landslides,
submarine volcanic eruptions and large meteoric impacts. Tsunamis are sudden-
onset events and their suddenness often catches people at the coasts by
surprise. Two of the more important ingredients to generating tsunamis –
earthquake proneness and presence of bodies of water – are both found in the
Philippines. In fact, the Philippines is no stranger to tsunami just like its neighbor-
countries in the Pacific Ring of Fire. Unfortunately, letting people remember
tsunamis is a tough task to do because their occurrences are far in between. For
example, the ferocity of the tsunami that struck the coastal towns of Moro Gulf in
the midnight of August 17, 1976 may now be hardly remembered by children
who were born after 1976. Deaths attributed to this tsunami varied from 3,000 to
8,000 people. As the Japanese saying goes “a disaster strikes when the memory
of the last one has been forgotten”. Hence, it is important that people remember
past disasters so that they will keep on applying the lessons learned from them.
This catalog hopes to serve as a reminder for the future generation of the past
tsunamis in our country, the places they affected and the disasters they brought
to remain vivid in their minds the threat from this particular hazard.
This catalog is the first tsunami catalog for the Philippines. It puts together
tsunami reports from 1589 to 2012 from historical records, previous catalogs and
recent earthquake reports. The year 1589 accounts for the first earthquake report
in the Philippines and this shall serve as the date of reckoning for this study.
Many previous authors have compiled worldwide tsunami catalogs that

included Philippine tsunami data such as Heck (1947), Berninghausen (1969), Cox
(1970), Nakamura (1978), Cox et al (1980) and Soloviev (1984). Other authors
compiled Philippine earthquake catalogs (Maso, 1895; Repetti, 1931, 1946;
SEASEE, 1985). A supposed tsunamigenic Philippine earthquake in 43 B.C. was
mentioned by Lockridge in her paper "Historical Tsunamis of the Pacific Ocean"
published in 1988. However, this date has since been deleted from the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) catalog after its factuity was
checked and which eventually led to the evaluation that said tsunami report is
erroneous and could not be confirmed due to lack of established settlements in
the Philippines at that time (Lockridge, written communication, 1995).
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Data and Methodology
The first step involved the collection, review and evaluation of earthquake
reports from various sources from 1589, when the first earthquake was officially
reported for the Philippines. From these reports, those with reference to tsunamis
were selected. As a rule of thumb, original primary sources were sought to verify
earliest accounts. For the period 1589 to 1899, the catalog by Repetti (1946)
became the springboard of tsunami information. For the period 1900 to 1985,
earthquake and tsunami reports were culled from records kept by the Manila
Observatory and Philippine Weather Bureau. These reports are also summarized
in the Southeast Asia Association of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering
(SEASEE) catalog (1985). Earthquake and tsunami reports from 1986 onwards are
derived from reports of investigation prepared by the Philippine Institute of
Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) and other groups. The earthquake data
for each tsunami such as date, time, magnitude, etc, were derived from the
PHIVOLCS and the U.S. Geological Survey catalogs as well as magnitude
estimates of Gutenberg (1956), Gutenberg and Richter (1956), Abe (1981), Abe
(1994) and Abe and Noguchi (1983). Epicenters and magnitudes of Philippine
historical earthquakes were derived from the work of Bautista and Oike (2000).
Meanwhile, the certainty of tsunami occurrences is also rated according to their
certainty of occurrence. The tsunami certainty is ranked into five categories:
Positive occurrence (100%), probable (75%), possible (50%), quite possible (25%)
and doubtful (< 25%). These rankings were based on eyewitness accounts (e.g.
the more eyewitness accounts, the higher ranking is given), specificity of the
reports’ naming of the places affected (e.g. vague names of places such as
south Mindanao area vs. Cotabato shores) and clarity of tsunami description
(e.g. descriptive phrase “high waves were observed” is more clear than “unusual
sea level change”). For confirmed or positive tsunamis, the tsunami heights are
indicated or estimated based on reports. The inundated areas as delineated in
the maps are all indicative and were merely delineated for illustrative purposes
only. A rough map, as much as possible, accompanies each tsunami account.
Discussions will be by tsunami source zone, starting geographically from the north
to the southern Philippines. Since primary sources were merely referred to by latter
authors, a question mark (?) at the end of primary sources would indicate that
said original source was not accessed by the authors of this catalog. Meanwhile,
all earthquake intensities mentioned in this catalog were evaluated using the
PHIVOLCS Earthquake Intensity Scale (PEIS) of I to X. All times of occurrences
indicated are in local time.
Tsunami magnitude heights by other authors will also be included, if

available. For example, some authors such as Iida et al. (1967) and Hatori (1994)
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gave tsunami magnitudes for selected earthquakes. Iida et al. (1967) defined
tsunami magnitude m as:
m = log2H
where H is the maximum runup height in meters, measured at coast from 10-250
km from tsunami origin
Hatori (1994) computed for tsunami magnitudes for earthquakes

occurring in Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia and Japan. He found out that tsunami
magnitudes in the Philippines and Indonesian region are higher by 1-2 grades
compared to tsunamis from Taiwan and Japan. The higher grade means higher
tsunami heights in Indonesia and Philippines by as much as 2-5 times as
compared to earthquakes with the same magnitudes in Japan and Taiwan.
This catalog also includes far-field tsunami that affected the Philippines
and another water hazard called “seiche”. Seiches occur when the water of
enclosed bodies of water like lakes and even rivers are agitated by strong
shaking due to earthquakes or these may also be caused by volcanic eruptions.
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PART I
Tsunamis Caused by
Local Earthquakes
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Tsunamis Caused by Local Earthquakes
A) Tsunamis affecting northern Luzon coasts
The northern Luzon coasts referred to includes towns of the provinces of

Ilocos Norte and Cagayan as well as the Batan group of islands, which are also
the northernmost islands of the Philippine archipelago. The towns of Ilocos Norte
are Burgos, Bangui and Pagudpud while the towns of Santa Praxedes, Claveria,
Sanchez Mira, Pamplona, Abulug, Ballesteros, Aparri, Buguey, Santa Teresita,
Gonzaga and Santa Ana would represent the northernmost towns of Cagayan
province. North of the northern coast of Luzon is the Babuyan group of island
consisting of the islands of Batan (the largest), Amianan, Mabudis, Siayan,
Itbayat, Sabtang, Deguey, Ibujos, Babuyan, Camiguin, Calayan, Dalupiri and
Fuga. There are six accounts of possible tsunamis that were documented but
only two earthquakes are confirmed that have caused tsunamis to occur. The
height of these tsunamis were less than 1 meter based on descriptions. The years
when these possible tsunamis occurred were in 1627, 1744, 1954, 1970, 1987 and
2000 (Table 1). Only the 1970 and 2000 events are considered to be confirmed
tsunami events (Figure 1).
Table 1. List of candidate tsunami events that affected Northern Luzon

coast and their probability ranking
Date of Occurrence Tsunami Probability Ranking
1627 September Probable
1744 Possible
1954 September 4 Quite Possible
1970 September 30 Positive
1987 June 7 Doubtful
2000 July 16 Positive
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Figure 1.Tsunamigenic Earthquakes affecting Northern Luzon coasts
1. September 1627 (Ms 7.5): (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Probable)
Magnitude: Ms 7.5 (Bautista and Oike, 2000 Tsunami magnitude (m) = 2? (Iida et al, 1967)
Epicenter: 18.7 N. lat; 121.8 E. long (Bautista and Oike, 2000)
The first mention of this earthquake was from a letter of a Jesuit priest written in
1628 or one year after the event. The letter mentioned about 14 earthquakes
which were felt onboard a ship while it was docked at the town of Bangui (Letter
of a Jesuit in Manila, 1628?; Nieremberg, 1638?; Sta. Ines, 1676?; Collection
Academique, ---?; Krueger, ---?; Prevost, 1777; Legentil, 1779; Careri, 1852?;
Mallet, 1853; Gironiere, 1857; Perrey, 1860; Maso, 1895; 1927; Milne, 1912;Repetti,
1946; Iida et al, 1967; Berninghausen, 1969; Cox, 1970; Soliviev, 1970?; Nakamura,
1978). The time of the event was not mentioned in any of the accounts. Bangui is
a town of Ilocos Norte. By the 18th century, Bangui was described as “a very
dangerous place, where the sea beats against the passable point” (Cagayan
Almanac, 1970). The northern Caraballos Mountains is found in this part of Luzon
Island. In this mountains, a part was said to have been leveled leaving a big gap
in the middle. The letter also stated that “in Cagayan, trees were overturned by
the terrific force of the waves of the sea which invaded the land for a distance of
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a league” (Repetti, 1946). A league in the post-1568 Spanish period measures
about 6.68 km (http://www.onlineconversion.com/length_all.htm). Reviewing the
account, we find that the only place in Cagayan which faces the sea is its
northern part. Nakamura (1978) ranked the likelihood of tsunami as “likely” while
Maso (1927) attributed the waves to typhoons. Cagayan is frequently struck by
typhoons and July-November are the rainy months in the province. Nieremberg,
another historian who was later quoted by Perrey (1860), erroneously attributed
the affected place to Camarines instead of Cagayan and the year of
occurrence as 1638. Based on existing data, tsunami occurrence is ranked as
“probable”.
2. 1744: (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Possible)
The only mention of this event was made more than a hundred years later
when Bugarin writing in 1854 said that earthquakes that lasted months were felt in
Northern Luzon and that “the sea entered the river with great force” (Bugarin,
1854; Maso, 1895; Repetti, 1946; Berninghausen, 1969; Soloviev, 1970; Nakamura,
1978). The only place in northern Luzon where sea could have entered would be
its northern (Ilocos Norte and Cagayan) and western (Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte)
shores. As compared to the northern Luzon shores of Cagayan, the western
Ilocos shores by this time were already more populated and developed such that
a tsunami and earthquake such as this size would have been well-documented.
Hence, the lack of report could have been because the affected area is the
Cagayan area and the river referred to could have been Cagayan River. A
quake of this size would not have escaped the notice of historians, hence the
complete veracity of this event remains inconclusive. In addition, a quake of this
size would not take a century to be written about. Due to lack of sufficient
number of reports, Bautista and Oike (2000) were unable to determine the
epicenter and magnitude of this event. Tsunami probability is ranked as
“possible”.
3. 1950s: (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Quite Possible)
Magnitude: None Available

Epicenter: None Available
This is earliest possible tsunami in the Batan group of islands and this was
mentioned in an article in a webpage about Batanes island
(http://www.philippine.org/01prov/ batanes.html). The website article mentioned
about an area called Songsong Ruins, a “ghost” village featuring a cluster of
roofless shell of old stonehouses allegedly abandoned after having been swept
by a “tidal wave” in the 1950s. The map of Batan Island shows an area called
Songsong Bay which is located in the NW shore of Batan Island. Since the article
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merely mentioned that the event happened in the 1950s, we reviewed the
earthquake catalog from 1950 to 1959 around the Batan group of islands. The
biggest magnitude earthquake (Ms 7.1) occurred on August 15, 1959 whose
epicenter is offshore SE of Taiwan. There were other magnitudes 6.0 and above
earthquakes and which occurred in 1954, 1955 and in 1959. Unfortunately, aside
from this webpage, no other catalog including that of SEASEE (1985) had
mentioned this tsunami. Owing to the uncertainty of the report, the probability of
tsunami is assessed as “quite possible”.
4. September 30, 1970 (Ms 6.0): (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive)
Magnitude: Ms 6.0 (USGS)

Epicenter: 20.59 N. lat; 122.02 E. long
This earthquake occurred at 5:52 AM and was located about 30 km NNE of Batan
Island. The quake caused the collapse of three houses in the town of Basco and
damaged the walls of 65% of the remaining houses. Slight damages were
reported in Uyugan and Sabtang towns. There were also landslides on the slopes
of Iraya Volcano which damaged the local water system while some small sea
level changes were observed in the coastal areas of Batanes (SEASEE, 1985). The
exact location of the affected shores in Batanes was not indicated. Tsunami
occurrence is ranked as “positive”. Height is less than a meter based on
description.
5. June 7, 1987 (Ms 6.1): (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Doubtful)

An article by Harper-Alonso (2002) in the Starweek magazine mentioned about a

tsunami which occurred in the evening of June 1987 and swept through the
barangay of Nakamuan in Batanes province. A barangay called Nakanmuan,
not Nakamuan as mentioned in the Starweek article, is located in the island of
Sabtang. A review of the earthquake catalogs showed that an earthquake
indeed occurred on June 7, 1987 (Ms 6.1) whose epicenter was about 60 km west
of Batanes island. A field verification made by Ms. Vilma C. Hernandez, PHIVOLCS
Batanes field personnel, on July 1, 2002 at Barangay Nakanmuan however
revealed that the villagers could not recall any tsunami on June 1987. What the
villagers could recall was that of typhoon which occurred in September of that
year and which battered the island for 36 hours (Vilma C. Hernandez, PHIVOLCS
Batanes field personnel, personal communication, July 1, 2002). Due to the
discrepancy of the earthquake date with the article report and the lack of
confirmation by local residents, tsunami probability is ranked as “doubtful”.
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6. July 16, 2000 (Ms 6.4): (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive)

At 11:21 AM on July 16, 2000, a Ms 6.4 earthquake occurred 30 km SE of Batan

Island. The earthquake caused serious damage to two villages (Imnajbu and
Itbud) in the town of Uyugan in the island of Batan which is nearest the epicenter.
In these villages, damages to about 85% of the Ivatan houses and landslides with
volumes of about 1000 cu.m. were observed. Smaller volume landslides were
spread along the highways and other interior parts of the island. Another town
which sustained significant damage although not as serious as Uyugan was the
town of Ivana. Ivana is located at the opposite side of the island at about 5 km
west of Uyugan. The church, which was built in 1795, sustained cracks but was not
significantly damaged. In this town, about 50% of the houses were damaged. In
the town of Mahatao, located NE of Ivana, the church likewise cracked and two
life-size statues toppled. In the capital town of Basco, only the Ivatan-type
dwellings were damaged while the modern-type houses and government
buildings were spared. However, the façade, belltower and bell of the century-
old Santo Domingo Church fell. There were also small volume landslides in the
slopes of Iraya Volcano which damaged the water pipeline just like during the
1970 earthquake. Southwest of Batan island is the island of Sabtang. In a survey
in three villages (Chavayan, Savidug and Sinakan), the PHIVOLCS investigative
team found out that the most heavily damaged was the village of Chavayan
where 87% of the houses were damaged. A rockslide in the said village also
damaged the water pipeline. In the village of Savidug, a fisherman who was at
sea when the quake occurred observed the sea level to rise by 40 cm from the
normal level (Figure 2). Afterwhich, the water rose five times before it went back
to normal (M.L.Paladio-Melosantos et al, 2000). The tsunami report is assessed as
“positive”. Tsunami height is less than one meter.
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Figure 2. The July 16, 2000 (Ms 6.4) Tsunami in Sabtang Island
B) Tsunamis in Western Luzon
There are nine candidate tsunamigenic earthquakes that affected the

western shores of Luzon Island: December 1677, January 1872, May 1924, June
1924, February 1934, September 1949, August 1983, July 1990 and December
1999. Table 2 summarizes their tsunami probability ranking. Only five earthquakes
(1924, 1934, 1983, 1990 and 1999) are confirmed to have caused tsunamis to
occur (Figure 3).
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Table 2: List of candidate tsunami events that affected Western Luzon
coast and their probability ranking

1677 December 7 Possible
1872 January 26 Probable
1924 May 6 Positive
1924 June 3 Doubtful
1934 February 14 Positive
1949 September 5 Doubtful
1983 August 17 Positive
1999 December 12 Positive
Figure 3. Tsunamigenic Earthquakes affecting Western Luzon
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1. December 7, 1677 (Ms 7.3): (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Possible)
Magnitude: Ms 7.3 (Bautista and Oike, 2000 Tsunami magnitude (m) = 1? (Iida et al, 1967)
At 7:30 PM on December 7, 1677, an earthquake slightly damaged some old

houses in Manila and created fissures in the towns of Gapan in present-day
Nueva Ecija province as well as in Bauan town in Batangas province (Diaz, 1890?;
Blair and Robertson, 1903; Maso, 1927; Repetti, 1946; Filway's Almanac, ----?). The
accounts state that “there were sea waves in some places, and reports of boats
at sea were almost submerged by waves” (Diaz, 1890?; Blair and Robertson, 1903;
Maso, 1895, 1927; Repetti, 1946; Heck, 1947; Iida et al, 1967; Berninghausen, 1969;
Cox, 1970; Soliviev, 1970?; Nakamura, 1978; Filway's Almanac, ----?). Some of the
other earliest settlements in western Luzon shores were Infanta and Bolinao in
Pangasinan province as well as Masinloc, Iba, Morong and Mariveles in Zambales
province. For example, the town of Bolinao is said to have been founded in 1575,
although the historical Catholic Church, in particular, is said to have been built in
1607 (http://philangler.tripod.com/Bolinao.htm). However, no report from any of
these places had yet been retrieved. Due to the uncertainty in the names of
places, the sparsity of reports and the fact that it took more than 200 years for
reports to be documented, the possibility of tsunami is ranked only as “possible”.
Meanwhile, Iida et al (1967) gave a tsunami magnitude of 1 for this event.
2. January 26, 1872 (Ms 6.8): (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Probable)
Magnitude: Ms 6.8 (Bautista and Oike, 2000) Tsunami magnitude (m) = 0 (Iida et al, 1967)
Two earthquakes, 52 years apart in the years 1872 and 1924, generated almost
the same impacts including occurrence of tsunamis. Magnitude estimates using
different methods also yielded nearly close magnitude values of Ms 6.8 for the
1872 event and Ms 7.0 for the 1924 event. The 1872 tsunami was first mentioned in
the works of Maso in 1909 and 1925. Surprisingly, Maso failed to mention this in his
1895 earthquake catalog, which was widely-referred to by Repetti in his
earthquake catalog of 1946. Hence, this tsunami is not found in the Repetti
catalog. Meanwhile, succeeding authors such as Heck (1947), Iida et al (1967)
and Berninghausen (1969) started to mention this tsunami in their works. However,
instead of 8:30 PM, Iida et al (1967) gave a different occurrence time of 7:03 PM.
Iida et al (1967) also gave a tsunami magnitude of 0 to this event. The accounts
state that at 8:30 PM on January 26, 1872, the town of Agno in Pangasinan
province was violently shaken by an earthquake with accompanying
subterranean sounds. No damage was reported suggesting a maximum intensity
of Intensity VI only. The felt motion lasted for a long time. In Bolinao and in other
northern towns of Zambales, the quake was likewise felt strongly but there was no
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damage, too. The account also states that “moderate sea waves invaded the
town of Agno” (Maso, 1909, 1925; Heck, 1947; Berninghausen, 1969; Iida et al,
1976). The length of felt motion as well as the fact that the quake was not really
damaging suggest the following: 1) a distant epicenter, or 3) a deep focus.
However, the fact that there was tsunami suggests a shallow epicenter and a
large magnitude event. The epicenter as inferred by Bautista and Oike (2000) is
in the South China Sea area possibly related to the activity of the Manila Trench
and the same authors also inferred its magnitude to be Ms 6.8 using magnitude-
felt area equations. Due to many inconsistencies in the reports, the probability of
tsunami is ranked as “probable”.
3. May 6, 1924 (Ms 7.0): (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive)
Magnitude: Ms 7.0 (Abe, 1981)

Epicenter: 16.0 N. lat; 119 E. long (GUT?)
Fifty-two years later at 12:16 AM on May 6, 1924, a Ms 7.0 earthquake occurred

west of the 1872 epicenter. Like the 1872 event, this earthquake was distinctly felt
at Bolinao. It was also felt in the northern towns of Pangasinan, Benguet, central
provinces and Manila (SEASEE, 1985). Similarly, the quake was not damaging and
“four moderate sea waves” were observed again to have invaded the town of
Agno after the quake (Repetti, 1931; Berninghausen, 1969, SEASEE, 1985). There
was no reported damage. Tsunami probability is ranked as “positive”. Tsunami
height is estimated to be about 1 meter in the town of Agno (Figure 4).
Figure 4. The May 6, 1924 (Ms 7.0) Tsunami in Agno
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4. June 3, 1924 (Ms = None Available ): (Tsunami Probability Ranking:
Doubtful)
Magnitude: Ms None Available Tsunami magnitude (m) = 1? (Iida et al, 1967)

Epicenter: 16.2 N. lat; 119.7 E. long (Gutenberg and Richter, 1954)
This earthquake occurred at 4:19 AM on June 3, 1924 based on the catalog of

Gutenberg and Richter (1954). However, this event is neither found in the USGS
nor in the PHIVOLCS catalog. According to Iida et al, it affected NW Luzon
specifically the town of Agno of Pangasinan province. It is uncertain if Iida et al
(1967) was actually referring to the May 6,1924 event which also generated a
tsunami. Iida et al (1967) referred to the Seismological Society of America and
Kawasumi (1963) as his sources. Iida et al (1967) estimated the tsunami
magnitude to be 1. Since there are many uncertainties about this event, tsunami
probability is ranked as “doubtful”.
5. February 14, 1934 (Ms 7.6): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive

Epicenter: 17.5 N. lat; 119.0 E. long (GUT)
Ten years later and more than 100 km north of the May 6,1924 tsunami, a
powerful earthquake occurred west of the town of San Esteban in the province of
Ilocos Sur at 11:59 AM. The quake whose epicenter was about 150 km from the
Ilocos shores cut an underwater cable connecting Manila and Shanghai (SEASEE,
1985). Aside from this report, the only other damage was reported in a public
school in Manila which cracked while soil settlement in the Port Area was
observed. In Manila, too, clocks stopped and electrical power supply was
disrupted. The quake was felt for almost a minute in the city. People ran out
because of panic. The quake was felt as far as Taiwan and Victoria in Hongkong.
In the Ilocos Sur town of San Esteban, sea disturbance was reported (SEASEE,
1985) and some people narrowly escaped drowning when they tried to retrieve
exposed fishes. Some surges were noted at sea south of Vigan shores (Repetti,
1934; Heck, 1947; Berninghausen, 1969). Tsunami height is estimated at 2 m in the
town of San Esteban (Figure 5). Tsunami probability is ranked as “positive”.
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Figure 5. The February 14, 1934 (Ms 7.6) Tsunami in San Esteban and Vigan
6. September 5, 1949 Tsunami Probability Ranking: Doubtful
Magnitude: None available Tsunami magnitude (m) = 1 (Iida et al, 1967)

Epicenter: 18.5 N. lat; 122.0 E. long (JSA)
This earthquake was culled from the Iida et al (1967) that cited the Jesuit
Seismological Association (JSA) as the source of data. No magnitude is also
available. There is also no available earthquake intensity report in the SEASEE
catalog (1985). However, Iida et al (1967) assigned a tsunami magnitude of 1 for
this event. Due to the uncertainties in most of the information, the tsunami
probability is ranked as “doubtful”.
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7. August 17, 1983 (Ms 6.5): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive

Epicenter: 18.231 N. lat; 120.860 E. long (USGS)
This earthquake occurred at 8:18 PM and caused serious damages to the 15

Ilocos Norte towns with intensities ranging from VII to VIII (SEASEE, 1985). In the
town of Vintar, 79 houses made of concrete hollow blocks collapsed totally,
including the church bell tower. In the city of Laoag, a number of reinforced
concrete buildings either totally collapsed or sustained major structural damage
beyond rehabilitation. In the town of Pinili, a hospital and an elementary school
partially collapsed. In the town of Paoay, an old Spanish church collapsed and
at the same time and adjacent structures were damaged. According to some
fishermen in Paoay, the water looked as though it were boiling beneath, but the
surface of the water was calm. They also noticed that the water on the shoreline
receded. Slight swelling of the sea water was noted in the shore of Pasuquin
town (Figure 6) in the province of Ilocos Norte. Tsunami probability is ranked as
“positive”. Tsunami height is estimated to be less than 1 m in Paoay and
Pasuquin.
Figure 6. The August 17, 1983 (Ms 6.5) Tsunami in Paoay and Pasuquin
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8. July 16, 1990 (Ms 7.8): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive

This earthquake is one of the most damaging in terms of structural damages due
to earthquake in the 20th century in the Philippines. All kinds of seismic hazards
such as intense ground shaking, liquefaction, ground rupture, landslide and
tsunami and even secondary hazard such as fire were experienced. This
earthquake occurred at 4:26 PM (DST). Epicenter was on land in the province of
Nueva Ecija, where ground rupture of as much as 125 km was observed.
Liquefaction caused tracts of land to settle by as much as 1-2 meters, most
notably in the city of Dagupan, some parts of the shoretowns of La Union such as
Agoo and Aringay, including some towns of Tarlac province such as Gerona and
Pura. Landslides were observed in the Cordillera Mountains hampering access to
towns in these mountainous areas. Despite the fact that the epicenter was on
land, two-meter high waves were reported by local residents of Brgy. Darigayos in
the town of Luna, province of La Union minutes after the main shock (Torres,
1990). The residents noted that the rise in water level was preceded by a
lowering of the sea level and which almost exposed the embayment fronting
their barangay (Figure 7). Smaller waves followed the first big wave. Seven boats
and some nipa huts were damaged. La Union is about 100 km from epicenter.
Tsunami probability is ranked as “positive”.
Figure 7. The July 16, 1990 (Ms 7.8) Tsunami in Luna
24
9. December 12, 1999 (Ms 6.8): (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive)

In the early morning of December 12, 1999 at 2:03 AM, an earthquake caused
very severe damages to towns in the Pangasinan-Zambales border in west Luzon
(Sevilla et al, 1999). In Zambales, a Spanish-era church and a market of Masinloc
town was severely damaged. Minor cracks were sustained by the municipal hall
in Candelaria town while major cracks sustained by a building being constructed
in Santa Cruz, all in Zambales province. Fissures on ground, seashore and ricefields
were also observed in the province. Large parts of a church in Mabini town in
Pangasinan fell. In Infanta, moderate damage was sustained by concrete
houses. Fissures were also observed in the town of Dasol in the same province. It
was in the towns of Iba and Palauig that tsunamis were reported. In Iba, a sound
was heard during the earthquake, similar to one produced during typhoons that
came from the sea. One person saw the sea receding and exposing corals and
the rocky bottom. A few minutes later, the sea level rose by as much as 1.5 m
and inundated shore areas by as much as 10 m (Figure 8). The wave came from
the SW direction from Iba and many people noticed the unusual sea level
change. Water level went back to normal 30 minutes later (Sevilla et al, 1999).
Figure 8. The December 12, 1999 (Ms 6.8) Tsunami in Iba and Palauig
25
C) Tsunamis Affecting Metro Manila shoreline
There are five candidate earthquakes that were investigated for possible
tsunami effects to the shores of Metro Manila: December 1770, November 1828,
September 1852, March 1862 and June 1863. Table 3 summarizes their tsunami
probability ranking. Only two earthquakes (1828 and 1863) are confirmed to
have caused tsunamis to occur (Figure 9).
Table 3: List of candidate tsunami events that affected Metro Manila

shores and their probability ranking

1770 December Quite Possible
1828 November 9 Positive
1852 September 16 Quite Possible
1862 March 4 Doubtful
1863 June 3 Positive
Figure 9. Tsunamigenic Earthquakes that affected Metro Manila shores
26
1. December 1770: Tsunami Probability Ranking: Quite Possible
In one of the nights of December 1770 between 9 to 11:00 PM, an earthquake

shook Manila damaging some houses. The accounts mentioned that the ships
anchored at roadstead seemed to touch bottom. There was strong winds before
the quake which caused the sea to be agitated (Legentil, 1779; Sonnerat, 1782;
Perrey, 1860; Rudolf, 1887; Maso, 1895; 1927; Repetti, 1946; Berninghausen, 1969;
Cox, 1970; Soloviev, 1970?; Nakamura, 1978). Due to uncertainty in accounts and
time and date of occurrence, tsunami probability is ranked as “quite possible”.
2. November 9, 1828 (Ms 6.6): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive
Magnitude: Ms 6.6 (Bautista and Oike, 2000)

At 6:30 PM, an earthquake was violently felt in Manila causing people to ran out
of their homes. The Great Bridge and the arches and buttresses of two or three
churches, including San Carlos Seminary and its library, broke. The prison was
damaged. Many houses cracked (Singapore Chronicle, 1828?, January 1, 1829?;
Eyries, 1828?, 1829?; Constitutionel, 1829?; Ann. de Ch et Phys., ----?; Cuevas, ---?;
Gironiere,1857; Bowring,1859; Perrey, 1860;Montero Vidal,1887,1894; Rudolf,
1887;Maso,1895,1927; Phil. Com, 1901; Repetti, 1946; Iida et al, 1967; Cox, 1970).
No other report from other places outside Manila has been found. At the port,
people on board ships felt the shocks strongly as if they struck a hard object. The
river level rose quickly after the quake to rainy day water level and inundated
lowlands near its banks. It lowered down below its normal level the next day
(Perrey, 1860; Report of the Commander of Engineers, December 13, 1828?; Libros
de oficios, ---?; Garnier, 1839; Mallet, 1853; Vidal, 1887; Selga, 1940?; Maso, 1927;
Repetti, 1946; Berninghausen, 1969). Iida et al (1967) attributes this phenomenon
to hydraulic effects rather than tsunami. Despite doubts raised by Iida et al about
the certainty of this event as being a tsunami, this study ranks the tsunami
probability as “positive” due to earthquake-tsunami cause-and-effect
observation exemplified in the accounts. Estimated tsunami height at the port of
Manila is about 1 meter (Figure 10).
27
Figure 10. The November 9, 1828 (Ms 6.6) Tsunami in Manila
3. September 16, 1852 (Ms 7.6): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Quite

Possible

This earthquake caused considerable damage to churches in the Bataan

province specifically in the towns of Abucay, Pilas, Mariveles, Orani, Orion,
Hermosa, Samal and Balanga. The province of Bulacan was likewise severely
affected specifically the capital (assumed here as Malolos) and Obando. Other
provinces affected were Batangas and Mindoro although the exact damages
were not mentioned. In the city of Manila, the structures inside Intramuros were
again damaged. A reference to unusual water observation went like this “The
tide was low at that time, which was fortunate, for if it had been high perhaps the
water of the river would have flooded the low land outside the city and caused
great alarm” (Report of Governor General Antonio de Urbiztondo, October 12,
28
1852?, Repetti, 1946). All other historians failed to repeat the observation about
the tide. Meanwhile, the Boletin Oficial (October 13, 1852?) and later cited by
Rudolf (1887) both mentioned about the shock being felt aboard a Spanish
brigantine named “Romano” while at location 17.5 N lat and 118.5 E long in the
China Sea area. Bautista and Oike (2000) located the epicenter at 14.3 N. lat;
120.05 E. long. This epicenter is also in the South China Sea region equidistant to
the provinces of Bataan and Batangas. The account that mentions the possible
increase in tide height could suggest that there was indeed an increase in the
water level following the earthquake. However, it is puzzling that there is lack of
similar observations in the shore towns of the provinces of Bataan and Batangas,
from where the damage reports were received. If damages were really certain,
then it is surprising why there were not reports of tsunami in these other places.
Due to many uncertainties, tsunami occurrence is ranked as “quite possible”.
4. March 4, 1862 (Ms 6.1): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Doubtful

There was an earthquake which happened on March 4, 1862. All references fail
to mention any report on tsunami, except that some authors quoted an
unspecified work by Perrey that stated that several boats were lost as a result of
this earthquake. The Perrey catalog was published 1860 so this could not be the
Perrey work as this event happened in 1862. The accounts that mentioned that
several boats were lost could not be found in any of the available earthquake
reports. Likewise, the boat incident could have been due to other incident like
typhoons. Therefore, tsunami occurrence is considered “doubtful”.
5. June 3, 1863 (Ms 6.5): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive
Magnitude: Ms 6.5 (Bautista and Oike, 2000) Tsunami magnitude (m) = 1 (Iida et al, 1967)
This earthquake occurred at around 7:30 PM (7:25 PM in some accounts) on June

3, 1863. It is one of the most damaging earthquakes that affected Manila, its
suburbs and neighboring provinces. A total of 46 public buildings and 570 private
buildings were ruined. Church walls cracked and belltowers were destroyed in15
Bulacan towns, two towns in Pampanga, three in Cavite, two towns in Laguna
and two towns in the present-day province of Rizal (Report of Governor Echague,
Jun.6,1863?; Diario Man., Jun. 6, 1863; Revista, ----?; De Man,1875;
Maso,1895,1927; Buen,1896; Artigas,1916; Manila Daily Bulletin,1925?; Selga, ----?;
Repetti,1946; Ch.& Con. of St.Agustine, ---?; Rodriguez,1976; Gallende,1977;
Fernandez,1979; Minoza,----?). In Manila Bay, the wave action was observed by
29
the captains on board two English frigates. They described the wave as coming
from the SE to NW. It then struck their ships forcefully and water completely
covered the deck. The frigate shook as if the ship has struck bottom; Water
around ship convulsed and appeared whitish. Water receded from Manila and
returned towards Cavite and receded back from Cavite (Memoires of the Acad.
of Brussels, 1865?; Rudolf, 1887; Sieberg, 1932?; Repetti, 1946; Heck, 1947; Iida et
al, 1967; Berninghausen, 1969; Soloviev, 1970?; Nakamura, 1978). An unspecified
reference mentioned that one ship said to have disappeared. Iida et al (1967)
estimated a travel time of six minutes from source to Manila Bay.
While structural damage to existing structures were reported also in the shore
provinces of Bataan, Cavite and Batangas, there were no tsunami report from
the shorelines towns of these provinces. For example, the Cavite towns of Ternate,
Naic, Tanza, Rosario, Noveleta, Kawit, Cavite including Sangley Point were
already established communities at this time. In the town of Cavite, the felt
motion lasted for 40 seconds. Accounts mentioned that the barracks, telegraph
tower and all walls and many buildings collapsed (Jagor, 1875; Jerez, 1877;
Repetti, 1946). In the Sangley Point, the area given to Chinese merchants by
Spain for them to peddle their wares in the Spanish colonial time, it was observed
that the ground opened and emitted water and dirt (Diario de Manila, June 6,
1863?; Repetti, 1946) although no damage was reported. Meanwhile, in Ternate,
which used to be part of the Cavite town of Maragondon in the 18th century,
church cracked and belltowers were destroyed (Selga, ----?; Repetti, 1946;
Samson, 1977). Since reports exist in these three places along the shore, Sangley
Point, Cavite and Ternate, it is possible that additional reports could be gathered
from these places if records could still be found. In Bataan province and in the
shoretowns facing Manila Bay such as Mariveles and the present-day Limay,
possible written reports might still be found. Although there were damage reports
for Mariveles town for the 1852 earthquake, there were no reports for the much
later 1863 earthquake. Limay used to be a town of Orion and only officially
became a town in 1917. Hence, if we will look for tsunami reports, it will have to
be the records of Orion which could yield possible results. Considering the
veracity of the eyewitness accounts, however limited, tsunami probability is
ranked as “positive”. Tsunami height in the shores of Manila is estimated to be 1-2
meter (Figure 11). Meanwhile, Iida et al (1967) estimated its tsunami magnitude as
1.
30
Figure 11. The June 3, 1863 (Ms 6.5) Tsunami in Manila
D) Tsunamis Affecting Eastern Luzon
There are six candidate events (Table 4) including the 1735 so-called
Trompa Marina event believed by local people in Aurora province to have
flooded parts of their province leaving only a few families to survive. Based on
criteria, this is a doubtful tsunami event. After review, only five events (Figure 12)
are confirmed to be tsunamigenic: 1880, 1937, 1968, 1970 and 1973.
Table 4: List of candidate tsunami events that affected eastern Luzon

shores and their probability ranking

1735 December 25 Doubtful
1970 April 7 Positive
1973 March 17 Positive
31
Figure 12. Tsunamigenic Earthquakes affecting Eastern Luzon
1. December 25, 1735 (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Doubtful)
The lone historical account merely stated that the ground dropped and formed a
lake submerging the church, houses and town. People escaped by climbing to
the roof (San Antonio, 1738; Delgado, 1892; Maso, 1895,1927; Repetti, 1946). The
earlier account of San Antonio failed to mention an earthquake. Maso and
Repetti doubted if the sinking of the town was due to earthquake. Both Maso and
Repetti pointed out that the former location of the town of Baler was on the left
side of the river, which consists of low marshy soil favorable to liquefaction.
Repetti (1946) suggested that the description of the “dropping of ground” could
be due to heavy rains. The month of December is one of the rainiest months in
this area. Based on numerous uncertainties, tsunami occurrence is ranked as
“doubtful”.
32
2. July 18, 1880 (Ms7.6): (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive)

This earthquake, which occurred at 12:40 PM, is one of the more damaging
earthquakes in the Philippines. It was strongest in the town of Infanta in the
present-day Quezon province where a poorly-built church and its tower totally
collapsed. Infanta was referred to its old name of Binangonan del Ampon.
Severe damage to the environment such as landslides in the mountain area
between Baler and Mauban and liquefaction in Infanta and Puerta Real in the
present-day town of Real were observed (Centeno y Garcia, 1882). In other
places, total collapse of existing masonry structures was experienced in two
towns in Bulacan, five towns in Nueva Ecija, five towns in Laguna and three towns
in Cavite. In Point Tacligan, Quinanliman, San Rafael and Puerto Real, all in
present-day town of Real, the sea is said to have invaded till the forested area.
Small boats in the Polo Pier Estuary were tossed by surging water into mango
groves on shore and were later left dry when the water returned to its level.
Waters in rivers became agitated and dirty (Centeno y Garcia, 1882;
Berninghausen, 1969). Repetti’s catalog (1946) fails to specifically mention a
tsunami. Based on all existing information, tsunami probability is ranked as
“positive”. Tsunami height in Puerto Real, Quinanliman and Tacligan is estimated
at 2 meters (Figure 13).
Figure 13. The July 18, 1880 (M 7.6) Tsunami in Real and Lamon Bay
33

This earthquake which occurred at 7:59 PM heavily damaged the towns of

Laguna province that are located east of Laguna de Bay. The churches of Famy,
Santa Maria and Paete collapsed while those of Pangil, Pakil, Lumbang, Cavinti
collapsed partially (SEASEE, 1985). In the capital town of Santa Cruz, a tower and
constabulatory were damaged, the church vault cracked and a water tank
toppled. In the towns of Siniloan, a bridge was damaged and in Pagsanjan, the
market and the municipal building were damaged, too. The quake was felt as far
as Manila and northern Mindanao. While the epicenter was inland, some sea
level changes were observed at Lopez and Calauag Bays. In Quezon, a
shoretown located at the southern tip of Alabat island, a noticeable rise in sea
level was observed. Across the town of Quezon is the town of Calauag, where
water suddenly rose to high tide level 10 minutes after the earthquake. A canoe
filled with people was pushed to the shore by the waves (SEASEE, 1985). Tsunami
probability is ranked as “positive”. Tsunami height is estimated as 1 meter (Figure
14) in Quezon and Calauag.
Figure 14. The August 20, 1937 (Ms 7.5) Tsunami in Calauag Bay
34
4. August 2, 1968 (Ms 7.3): (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive)
Magnitude: Ms 7.3 (USGS) Tsunami magnitude (m): 1.5 (Hatori,1994)

Epicenter: 16.5 N. lat., 122.2 E. long (USGS)
The earthquake occurred at 4:19 AM and its epicenter was located at the east
coast of the town of Casiguran and about 120 km away from Manila. In Manila, it
caused severe damages to several buildings including the collapse of the Ruby
Tower building, a six-storey condominium in Binondo area. The town of Casiguran
is in the province of Aurora and is the nearest town to the epicenter. Casiguran is
mainly a rural town with very few structures at the time of the earthquake. Some
of these structures cracked but no collapse was reported except for some
concrete fences which fell. The Casiguran Bridge and the municipal hall resisted
the shaking (Omote et al, 1969; Caagusan, 1969; Su, 1969; Coffman and Cloud,
1970). Tall waves along Casiguran Bay drowned a fisherman (SEASEE, 1985).
Casiguran Bay is an enclosed bay protected by a sandspit. In other shoretowns
directly facing the Pacific Ocean, no tsunami report has been reported although
mareographs in Legazpi City as well as in Japan and Alaska recorded increase in
sea level. In Legazpi tide station, a 9 cm increase was recorded by 5:30 AM. At
about 4 hours and 47 minutes after the quake, a 30-cm change was recorded in
Mera in Japan, while in Kyushu the change was 15 cm, 10 cm in Ryukyu and
Japanese Island, 15 cm in Okinawa and less than 15 cm in Ishigaki and Naha and
negligible in Oshima. The tsunami height was about 3 cm in Guam and Honolulu
tide gauges. In Alaska, the change was 0.27 m (World Data Center A for Solid
Earth Geophysics, 1976). Tsunami probability is assessed as “positive”. Estimated
height was 3 meters in areas along Casiguran Bay (Figure 15).
Figure 15. The August 2, 1968 (Ms 7.3) Tsunami at Casiguran Bay
35
5. April 7, 1970 (Ms7.0): (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive)

Two years later on April 7, 1970 and about 72 km from the 1968 epicenter, a Ms
7.0 earthquake again occurred at 1:34 PM. This quake caused heavy damage to
buildings in the town of Baler in Aurora province. Fissures opened and widespread
landslides occurred along the epicentral area. Like the 1968 event, this also
caused severe damage to buildings in Metro Manila. People along the Baler
shore described the tsunami as the sea being pushed back and its water being
stripped off like a carpet from the shoreline and folded up in into the horizon. The
next moment, the “folded sea unrolled and came rushing back as a wall of
water, a sort of tide, a mile-high torrent that flooded and crashed past the
shoreline, engulfing trees, boats, huts and beach” (SEASEE, 1985). Near Baler, the
coastal town nearest the epicenter, the tsunami was described as “small” and
“with the initial movement away from the shore”. The same was observed
towards the shore further south along the coast (Skinner and Watabe, 1970;
SEASEE, 1985). In 2008, interviews were conducted in the towns of Baler and San
Luis in the province of Aurora. In Sitio Castillo, Bgy. Sabang, Baler, tsunami was
described as a recession of water by about 500 m. The water suddenly swelled
and reached a height equivalent to a one-storey house or about 3 meters. Logs
were carried by the water (L. Melendrez, personal communication, 2008). In Sitio
Labgan, Bgy. Dikapinisan, San Luis, Mr. and Mrs. Borreo, local eyewitnesses
recalled when they felt a very strong shaking. Then, suddenly water receded but
after few minutes the sea swelled and then water flooded their area carrying the
pile of around 70 logs. Their bunkhouse was also carried. They also noticed that
the sea also entered the small river. They survived by climbing the mountain.
They estimated the water height to be around 14 feet (4.27m). Tsunami
probability is ranked as “positive”. Tsunami height is estimated as 3 meters (Figure
16) in Baler and 4.3 meters in San Luis.
Figure 16. The April 7, 1970 (Ms 7.0) Tsunami at Baler Bay
36
6. March 17, 1973 (Ms7.3): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive

This earthquake, which occurred at 4:30 PM and whose epicenter was at Ragay
Gulf, generated a 30-km long ground rupture and intense shaking which caused
heavy damages to the Quezon towns of Calauag, Hondagua and Lopez. It was
felt as far as Dagupan City to the NW and the town of Virac in the province of
Catanduanes to the east. In the village of Sumulong in Calauag, 98 houses
collapsed and 270 others were partially destroyed. The Sumulong Bridge was split
into two. In the town of Lopez, walls of various structures fell. In Hondagua, a
restaurant-turned-theatre collapsed while the old Spanish church partially
collapsed, too. Along the western end of the sea wall of Calauag, the sea
transgressed the shore by 20 m while the water level rose by about 1.3 m (Figure
17). The sea level rise was also observed in the southern tip of Alabat island
(Morante, 1974). Tsunami probability is ranked as “positive”.
Figure 17. The March 17, 1973 (Ms 7.3) at Calauag Bay
37
E) Tsunamis in Mindoro Island
There are six candidate events but only two (1928 and 1994) are
confirmed tsunamigenic based on set criteria (Table 5, Figure 18).
Table 5: List of candidate tsunami events that affected Mindoro Island

and their probability ranking

1653 June 26 Quite Possible
1675 March Possible
1889 May 26 Possible
1928 June 15 Positive
1939 May 7 Doubtful
1994 November 15 Positive
Figure 18. Tsunamigenic Earthquakes affecting Mindoro Island
38
1. Between June 26 to July 23 1653: Tsunami Probability Ranking:
Quite Possible
Repetti (1946) said that Santa Teresa (1743) was the first to mention an
earthquake which caused the sea to throw up and break waves and causing a
galleon to break from its anchors. A much later historian, Diaz (1890) traced the
tracks of that galleon. Diaz noted that the galleon’s destination was Manila and
that it was almost wrecked by a storm in Mindoro and afterwhich, it again
encountered three more typhoons before it reached Manila. However, he failed
to mention any earthquake. Repetti (1946) doubted the occurrence of a big
earthquake because had this been a big one, its impacts would not have
escaped the attention of other historians including Diaz. Hence, with these scarce
and conflicting accounts, the probability of tsunami occurrence is ranked as
merely “quite possible”. Iida et al (1967) rated tsunami possibility as “quite
possible”.
2. March 1675 (Ms 6.0): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Possible
Magnitude: Ms 6.0 (Bautista and Oike, 2000) Tsunami magnitude (m): 1 (Iida et al, 1967)
Epicenter: 13.2 N. lat., 121.35 E. long (Bautista and Oike, 2000)
The accounts for this earthquake had been passed on from one historian to
another. The place cited is the town of Pola in the province of Oriental Mindoro.
Pola is a town built on a delta. It faces the Pola Bay and lies between two
mountains. Since the first earthquake report in the Philippines in 1589, the only
other time that the town of Pola was mentioned was during the report for the
November 15, 1994 earthquake. The 1994 earthquake report mentioned that in
Pola, tsunami runup height was about 0.9m and inundation was 10m. Lateral
spreading of the ground was also observed due to liquefaction (PHIVOLCS, 1995).
For the 1675 event, however, the account mentioned an earthquake stronger
than usual occurred. A fissure formed from where the sea entered, causing
extensive flooding to an extensive fertile land (Santa Ines, 1676; Repetti, 1946).
According to Iida et al (1967), Sieberg (1932) also mentioned “waves” but with no
other details. The description of the sea entering the land, if attributable to an
earthquake, could be due to liquefaction or tsunami, depending on how the
account is interpreted. Another interpretation is that the fissure could be due to
lateral spreading. Subsequently, the area could have liquefied causing a
lowering of the land followed by the entry of the sea water. Another possible
interpretation is that both liquefaction and tsunami happened. Meanwhile,
Berninghausen (1969) attributes the sinking of the land to subsidence rather than
to a tsunami. Iida et al (1967) assessed tsunami magnitude as 1. Due to
uncertainty in the accounts, tsunami ranking is assessed as “possible”.
39
3. May 26, 1889 (Ms 6.4); (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Possible)
Magnitude: Ms 6.4 (Bautista and Oike, 2000) Tsunami Magnitude (m): 0.1 (?) (Iida et al,
1967)
Epicenter: 13.15N. lat; 121.10 E. long (Bautista and Oike, 2000)
This earthquake occurred at 2:23 AM and damaged three southern towns of

Batangas province and Calapan, the northern town of Oriental Mindoro. In the
town of Batangas, the church was almost ruined and had to be demolished. The
toilet and kitchen of the prison were ruined. The badly-constructed Government
House inclined and its facade and high part fell. The Governor had to move out
of this office (Official report of the Aide-de-Camp to the Chief Engineer of Public
Works, May 29, 1889; Telegram of the Governor of Batangas to the Governor
General of the Philippines, May 26,1889; Official Letter of the Civil Government of
Batangas to the Inspector General, June 13, 1889; Manila Observatory Record, ---
?; Maso, 1895, 1904; Repetti, 1946). In Balayan, the kitchen, toilet and pillars of
prison were in ruinous state. In Bauan, the church and its tile roof were severely
damaged. In Calapan, the church tower was damaged. In the shores of Cavite,
an anchored ship vibrated strongly in all directions and the crew jumped in all
directions. In the tide gauge at Manila, the instrument detected a less than 10
cm rise in sea level (Manila Observatory Record, ---?; Maso, 1895; Repetti, 1946;
Soloviev, 1970?; Nakamura, 1978). Iida et al (1967) thinks this could be a river
seiche rather than a tsunami. Based on intensity distribution and current
knowledge on location of earthquake source zones, Bautista and Oike (2000)
placed the epicenter at 13.15N. lat; 121.10 E. long. or at the northern plain of
Mindoro Island along the Aglubang River Fault. It is notable that although the
slight increase in water level was measured by the mareograph in the Manila
Observatory which was located in Manila, no correlative change in water level
was reported in the offshore area north of Mindoro Island. Based on existing
information, the probability of tsunami occurrence is ranked as “possible”.
Magnitude: Ms 7.0 (Abe)

The earthquake occurred at about 2:13 PM. Its epicenter is located in the SW tip
of Mindoro island around Mangarin Bay. It was felt as far as Manila causing
considerable panic. Native houses in the settlement nearest the epicenter
collapsed while a warehouse was considerably damaged (SEASEE, 1985). Soon
after the quake, the sea surged inland and partly inundated a railway (Figure 19).
Some loose part of the railway embankment were washed away. Prior to the
earthquake, it appeared to some eyewitnesses that there was some part of the
shore which slid down the sea. Tsunami probability is ranked as “positive”. Tsunami
height is estimated to be 1 m near Mangarin Bay shore areas.
40
Figure 19. The June 15, 1928 (Ms 7.0) Tsunami at Mangarin Bay
5. May 7, 1939 (M 6.5): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Doubtful
Magnitude: M 6.5 (STR)

Epicenter: 13.5 N. lat; 121.25 E. long (PHIVOLCS)
This quake occurred at about 1:00 AM on May 7, 1939. The epicentral location
and depth for this event is found in PHIVOLCS catalog while descriptions are
found in the SEASEE catalog (1985). The epicenter is at the offshore area around
the island of Baco located between Mindoro and Luzon Islands. A depth of 110
km was given for this event. According to the SEASEE catalog (1985), the quake
was felt strongest in the area between the northern coast of Mindoro and south
coast of Luzon. It was also felt at Intensity V in Batangas and was accompanied
by loud noise. It was felt as far as Manila at Intensity IV. According to one report,
water became unusually warm, fissures opened up and rockfalls occurred
although the place where this occurred was not mentioned. It also mentioned
that an island was flooded by the sea and the residents had to be evacuated.
Due to uncertainty in the reports and the fact that the depth is too deep to
generate a tsunami, the tsunami probability is ranked as “doubtful”.
41

In the early morning of November 15, 1994 at 3:15 AM, an earthquake that
caused serious damages to several northern Mindoro towns occurred. Aside from
the damages, tsunamis swept through eight towns in northern Mindoro island and
in two small islands along Mindoro Strait. Tsunami heights varied from 2 to 4 in the
northern Mindoro towns of Puerto Galera, San Teodoro, Baco and Calapan while
inundation values varied from 13 to 250 meters. In Calapan in Mindoro Island, the
beach was scoured while in Puerto Galera, coral fragments were transported
(PHIVOLCS,1995). In the island of Verde, an island politically belonging to
Batangas province, the height reached 2 m. In the other island, Baco, which
belongs to Mindoro, trees were knocked down, sand deposits and houses
destroyed by waves. The maximum runup height in this island is 8.5 m (PHIVOLCS,
1995). Sea waves entered 65 m and 95 meters inland in Verde and Baco Islands,
respectively. In four towns in the eastern part of Mindoro Island (Naujan, Pola,
Pinamalayan and Bongabong) away from the epicenter, tsunami height ranged
from 0.5 to 1.2 m while inundation varied from 4 to 20 meters inland. Eyewitness
accounts show that five minutes after the shaking, the people heard a jet-like or
a rush of strong rain sound followed by the onset of the first wave. They also saw
the sea receding for about 50 -100 meters prior to the onrush of the wave. The
main wave was observed to be a curtain of water with foamy white color on the
crest. There were a series of waves. Those who survived were the ones who
rushed inland when they saw the waves developing while others managed to
hold on to something stable. Thirty eight people drowned as a result of the
tsunami. Numerous boats and light wooden houses were destroyed (Figure 20).
Tsunami ranking probability is ranked as “positive”.
Figure 20. The November 15, 1994 (Ms 7.1) Tsunami in Baco,Calapan and Puerto Galera
42
F) Tsunamis in Bicol peninsula
There are three candidate tsunami events for Bicol peninsula as listed in
Table 6 but only one (1840) is confirmed (Figure 21).
Table 6: List of candidate tsunami events that affected Bicol peninsula


1747 Doubtful
1840 March 22 Positive
1865 Oct 19 Possible
Figure 21. Tsunamigenic Earthquake affecting Bicol peninsula
43
1. 1747: Tsunami Probability Ranking: Doubtful
The Bishop of Nueva Caceres wrote in 1747 “we have suffered here in everything,
the earth by earthquakes, the air by typhoons, the fire by eruptions, the water by
floods..”(Letter of the Bishop of Nueva Caceres, 1747?). Due to the uncertainty in
the reports, tsunami probability is assessed as “doubtful”.
2. March 22, 1840 (Ms 6.8): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive
Magnitude: Ms 6.8 (Bautista and Oike, 2000) Tsunami Magnitude (m): = 1? (Iida et al, 1967)
At 8:30 AM on March 22, 1840, the church including the smallest stone houses in
the town of Sorsogon of the province of Sorsogon, which were made of wood
and nipa, were destroyed by an earthquake. The same destruction happened in
the town of Casiguran in the same province. The account also states that in
Albay, probably referring to present-day Legazpi City, the church also collapsed
(Petition letter from the Municipal president and eight leading citizens of Sorsogon
town, 1842?; Report of the Albay Provincial Governor Jose Velasco, February 22,
1843?; Selga, ---; Jagor, 1875; Milne, 1912; Maso, 1910?,1927; Sieberg, 1932;
Repetti, 1946). In Sorsogon (Figure 22), the sea invaded a great part of the
beach and houses near the shore (Report of the Albay Provincial Governor Jose
Velasco, February 22, 1843?; Selga, ---; Milne, 1912; Maso, 1910?,1927; Sieberg,
1932; Repetti, 1946; Berninghausen, 1969; Cox, 1970). A part of the Sorsogon Bay
sank by 1.5 m. Together with Casiguran and Magallanes towns, the town of
Sorsogon faces Sorsogon Bay. Thirty five persons drowned according to Iida et al
(1967) citing Sieberg (1932) but this was not mentioned in the letters and reports
of the Albay and Sorsogon officials. Meanwhile, Jagor (1875) mentioned 17
persons died and 200 were injured. Iida et al (1967) gave its tsunami magnitude
as 1. In this study, tsunami probability ranking is assessed as “positive”. Since there
were deaths, tsunami height could have been at least 2 m.
3. October 19, 1865 (Ms 6.5): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Possible
Magnitude: Ms: 6.5 (Bautista and Oike, 2000)

This earthquake which occurred at 10:30 PM on the 19th of October 1865 caused
belltowers of three churches (Nabua and Iriga) in Camarines Sur province and
Tiwi Church in Albay to fall. It also damaged structures especially those located
on swampy areas. Many places in Albay experienced liquefaction. Damages
were sustained by 11 towns in Albay. Morga (1868) was the first to mention about
the sea invading the Albay towns of Malinao and Tabaco facing Tabaco Bay. All
44
other references used by Repetti (1946) all fail to mention a tsunami. Likewise,
Maso (1895), Nakamura (1978), Berninghausen (1969) and Iida et al (1976) all
failed to mention tsunami. Tsunami probability is assessed as “possible”
G) Tsunamis in the Visayan Region
There are 19 candidate events for the tsunamis in the Visayan region
(Table 7) but only 12 are confirmed to have generated tsunamis (Figure 23).
Discussions are based on the areas affected.
 Masbate-Leyte area
Table 7: List of candidate tsunami events that affected Masbate-Leyte area


1869 Aug 16 Positive
1897 May 13 Doubtful
2003 Feb 15 Positive
Figure 23. Tsunamigenic Earthquakes in the Visayan Region
45

This earthquake occurred at 3:00 PM on August 16, 1869. It caused walls of the
church and jail in the town of Masbate in Masbate province to crack. Some
structures also tilted. Brick structures were damaged. People were so frightened
that they jumped out of their homes. Fissures opened and landslides occurred in
the island. Sea said to be “disturbed” (Maso, 1895; Repetti, 1946; Berninghausen,
1969; Cox, 1970; Soloviev, 1970?; Nakamura, 1978). The “sea” here could be
referring to Masbate Pass as it is the body of water facing the town of Masbate.
Another account mentioned that the sea was extremely rough and that residents
have never seen such flood tides (Repetti, 1946; Berninghausen, 1969; Cox, 1970;
Soloviev and Go, 1974). A small island north of Ticao Island said to have
disappeared. Probability of tsunami is ranked as “positive”. Tsunami height is
estimated at 1 m (Figure 24) at Masbate town.
Figure 24. The August 16, 1869 (M 6.5) Tsunami of Masbate
46
2. May 13, 1897 (Ms 7.0): (Tsunami Probability Ranking:) Doubtful

This earthquake occurred at 8:24 PM on May 13, 1897. It caused panic in the
town of Masbate in the province of Masbate. It also damaged a church and
pier. Slight damage was also noted in wooden houses. Foreman (1906)
mentioned about a wave that invaded a great portion of Tacloban in 1897 but
no specific date was mentioned. However, a newspaper published in 1898
January reported a typhoon on 1897 October that affected Leyte, specifically
mentioning Tacloban. This tsunami is not found in the Iida (1967) catalog. Repetti
(1946) also failed to mention any unusual sea wave. Due to uncertainty in dates,
accounts and distance from epicenter, and attributing Foreman (1906) to the
newspaper report (1898) on typhoon, tsunami is assessed as “doubtful”.
Magnitude: Ms 6.2 (PHIVOLCS)

Epicenter: 12.244 N. lat.; 123.811 E. long (PHIVOLCS)
The earthquake happened at 7:01 PM on February 15, 2003. It caused an 18-km

long ground rupture that traversed the towns of Cataingan, Palanas and
Dimasalang in the island province of Masbate. At least three bridges along the
Masbate-Cataingan Road sustained structural damages. Schools such as the
Masbate National Comprehensive School and the Jose Zurbito Elementary
School both sustained severe shear cracks and column wall joint failure. In the
northwestern part of Ticao Island, there were reports of unusual waves. The
PHIVOLCS team who investigated the earthquake attributed the tsunami to
probable occurrence of localized underwater landslides (PHIVOLCS, 2003).
Tsunami probability ranking is assessed as “positive”. Tsunami height is estimated
to be less than 1 m (Figure 25) in Ticao.
47
Figure 25. The February 15, 2003 (Mw 6.2) Tsunami in Ticao Island
 Panay Island and Sibuyan Sea area
There are three candidate events as listed in Table 8, but only two (1925
and 1948) are confirmed tsunami events.
Table 8: List of candidate tsunami events that affected Panay Island

and Sibuyan Sea areas and their probability ranking

1887 Feb 2 Doubtful
1925 May 25 Positive
1948 Jan 25 Positive
48
1. February 2, 1887 (Ms 7.3): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Doubtful

The quake occurred at 11:00 PM on February 2, 1887. The quake caused severe
damages in the provinces of Capiz and Iloilo, both in Panay Island. Only Heck
(1947), citing the 1912 work of Milne, reported waves. However, the original work
of Milne (1912) did not mention a wave and neither did the earlier work of Maso
(1895) and the much later work of Repetti (1946). Berninghausen (1969) cited the
work of Heck (1947), too. Probability of tsunami occurrence is ranked as
“doubtful”.
2. May 25, 1925 (Ms 6.25): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive
Magnitude: Ms 6.25 (Gutenberg, 1956)

Epicenter: 12.5 N. lat; 122.5 E. long (Gutenberg, 1956)
The parameters of this earthquake is found in the Gutenberg (1956) catalog while
its intensity descriptions are found in SEASEE (1985). The earthquake occurred at
11:44 AM (or 11:43 AM in some accounts) and was felt in Tablas, Sibuyan and
Romblon Islands. A small tsunami was generated and flooded an area called
Tugban and several low–lying villages on the SE (eastern) coast of Tablas Island
(Repetti, 1931; Berninghausen, 1969). A check with present-day census data
would show a village called Tugdan in the Romblon town of Alcantara, which in
this catalog is assumed to be the same place referred in the historical account.
Passengers on board a steamer "Compeador" which was then situated offshore
SW of Romblon Island distinctly felt the shock. Tsunami probability is ranked as
“positive”. Tsunami height is estimated to be about 2 m in Tugdan (Figure 26).
Figure 26. The May 25, 1925 (Ms 6.25) Tsunami in Tugdan
49
3. January 25, 1948 (Ms 8.2): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive
Magnitude: Ms 8.2 (Abe, 1981) Tsunami magnitude (m) = 1? (Iida et al, 1967)
This earthquake occurred at 1:46 AM on January 25, 1948. It is considered as the

most destructive earthquake to hit Panay island. Intense ground shaking was
experienced in almost all of Panay Island. Among the Spanish-era churches
which were damaged were Miagao (http://www.smileyberks.com/Community/
Information+Dissemination/195.aspx) and Duenas Churches (http://www.
geocities.com/dost6/iloilo/duenas.html). The towns of Jaro and Iloilo were also
very much damaged (SEASEE, 1985). Fissures opened, landslides and widespread
subsidence occurred. Banks where fishes were often caught were washed out to
the sea. Interviews conducted in 2009 among eyewitnesses confirmed the
occurrence of tsunami. In Bgy Purok 1 in the Iloilo town of San Joaquin, Mr Isidro
Siva recounted that his friends who were sleeping along the beach when the
quake happened woke all wet from the sea water which apparently
encroached the beach after the quake. Since the sleeping people were not
carried away, then the waves were not that strong. A primary source of the
tsunami is Mr Gervacio Evangelista who was 28 years old in 1948. Mr Evangelista
lives in Bgy Tando in the town of Nueva Valencia in Guimaras Island. During the
earthquake, he was on board a boat called “Batel Cornelio” together with five
other passengers. The boat was in the shore of Miagao. The passengers felt
shaking, then heard a whistling sound. Then, they saw a 2-m high wave. The wave
carried their boat towards the shore. The passengers jumped from the boat and
upon landing. experienced waist-level flood. Upon his return home, his wife told
him about a wave observed in the island. According to his wife, a “batel”
named Flor Batel owned by Mr Juan Ilijan was also carried by the wave (Bautista
et al, 2010). From Oton to San Joaquin shores, fish corals were destroyed with
damage estimated to be P 250,000. The fish coral were detached from the log
moorings. The waves did not move inward (Manila Times, January 27, 1948). In
other reports, waves were reported along the Iloilo Strait but no specific sites were
mentioned (Figure 27). Two persons died (Bulletin of the Seismol. Soc. Am., 1948;
Murphy and Ulrich, 1951a; Iida et al, 1967;Berninghausen, 1969). Iida et al (1967)
assessed the tsunami magnitude to be 1. Tsunami ranking probability is assessed
as “positive”. Tsunami height is estimated to be 2 m along the areas from San
Joaquin, Miagao and Oton along Iloilo shores and in Nueva Valencia in
Guimaras province.
50
Figure 27. The January 25, 1948 (Ms 8.2) Tsunami in Iloilo Strait
 Samar Area
There are six candidate events and four (1925, 1975, 1995 and 2012) are
confirmed to have generated tsunamis.
Table 9: List of candidate tsunami events that affected Samar areas


1925 Nov 13 Positive
1925 Nov 25 Doubtful
1931 July 13 Quite Possible
1975 Oct 31 Positive
51
Magnitude: Ms 7.3
This earthquake occurred at about 8:14 PM on November 13, 1925. Its source
originated from the NE part of Samar Island. It affected the Samar towns of
Laoang and the island of Batag heavily. It was also felt at SE Luzon, Masbate,
Leyte, northern Cebu, Mindanao island and as far as Manila. At Batag island, the
sea was observed to retreat and then surged back strongly to flood low-lying
areas. Several fishermen drowned and boats sunk (SEASEE, 1985). This is not found
in the catalog of Iida et al (1967). Tsunami probability is ranked as “positive”.
Tsunami height is estimated to be 2 m in Batag Island (Figure 28).
Figure 28. The November 13, 1925 Tsunami (Ms 7.3) at Batag Island, Northern Samar
2. November 25, 1925 : Tsunami Probability Ranking: Doubtful
Berninghausen (1969) citing Repetti (1931) writes about waves that were
observed on the north coast of Samar island on November 25, 1925. This
earthquake could not be found in any of the available catalogs. Berninghausen
might have mistaken this for the November 13, 1925 event. Tsunami probability
ranking is assessed as “doubtful”.
52
3. July 13, 1931 (Ms 6.5): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Quite Possible
Magnitude: Ms 6.5 (Gutenberg and Richter,1954)

This quake occurred at 12:45 AM on July 13, 1931. Its epicenter was located by
Gutenberg and Richter (1954) in the northern part of Samar Island. The nearest
towns to the epicenter are Silvino Lobos (~ 12km), Mondragon (~ 14 km) and San
Roque (~ 15 km). No damage reports were received from these towns. The
intensity reports were mainly from the islands of Masbate and Ticao islands. In
Ticao Island, it caused some artesian wells to dry up while old ones resumed flow.
People onboard a boat 2 1/2 hours away from the island were strongly jolted.
Before the boat’s captain realized it was an earthquake, he thought he ran into a
reef or a shoal. People living at the eastern side of Ticao went to the highlands
thinking there would be a tsunami. In Masbate, the public market and the two
wharves were damaged. Breakable items inside stores were broken. Cracks were
noticed in two street roads. In the town of Uson, pieces of furniture inside houses
overturned. People were so frightened that they evacuated by themselves. They
camped in open spaces and stayed there till the next day (SEASEE, 1985).
Tsunami probability is ranked as “quite possible”.
4. October 31, 1975 (Ms 7.4): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive
Magnitude: Ms 7.4 (USGS) Tsunami magnitude (m) = 2 (Hatori,1994)

Epicenter: 12.54 N. lat.; 125.993 E. long (USGS)
This earthquake occurred at 4:28 PM on October 31, 1975. The epicenter was in
the offshore area east of Samar Island. The nearest towns, about 70 km away
from the epicenter, are rural municipalities of the provinces of Northern and
Eastern Samar. Intensity reports of Intensity VI levels were received from much
farther and more developed towns such as Borongan in Eastern Samar,
Catbalogan in Western Samar province and Tacloban in the island province of
Leyte. Their distances from the epicenter range from 120 to 180 kilometers. The
quake was felt as far north as Manila and south as Masbate. The SEASEE (1985)
also reported a tsunami with a maximum height of 4 meters were generated, but
the place where this was observed was not mentioned in the report. Recent
investigations done in 2009 disclosed eyewitnesses from the Eastern Samar towns
of Can-avid, San Policarpo and Taft for this particular earthquake. In San
Policarpo, which is about 50 km from epicenter, the tsunami was observed after
strong shaking by two individuals who were 11 and 13 years old at that time. The
eyewitnesses were Mr. Cesar Moratal and Ms. Fe Moratal who are from Bgy
Binogawan. They mentioned that it was high tide at that time and after the
shaking they noticed that the sea receded by as much as 50 m and then went
back slowly and flooded the shore by as much as 60 m inland. In Can-avid which
53
is about 68 km from the epicenter, the tsunami was observed by Mr Zosimo Miso
who was 11 years old when the earthquake happened. He was in their barangay
(Bgy Rawis) when, after the shaking, he saw waves about 2.5 m high which
inundated as far as 120 m inland. Other eyewitnesses interviewed were from the
town of Taft, which is about 78 km from the epicenter. The Taft eyewitnesses
interviewed by Joan Salcedo, Vilma Hernandez and Nolan Evangelista in 2009
were Ms Ana Apable who was 34 years old when the tsunami occurred, Mayor
Francisco Adalim who was 19 years old and municipal planning officer Roberto
Hilario who was eight years old when the tsunami occurred. Ms Apable stated
that while on a banca on Taft River, she felt a strong water oscillation and
observed strong water current. Then she observed rise in water level which
lowered immediately. Later, fish were found on the canals inland. Meanwhile,
Mayor Adalim observed people running in panic during the earthquake, then
almost knee-high sea water entered the plaza area. Mr Hilario noted that height
was greater than 1.5 meter and that there were three waves. Hatori (1994) also
gave a tsunami magnitude of 2 for this event and attributed one death to this
earthquake although none of the above accounts mentioned any death.
Tsunami probability ranking is “positive”. Tsunami height is estimated to be 2 m in
San Policarpo, Can-avid and Taft (Figure 29).
Figure 29. The October 31, 1975 (Ms 7.4) Tsunami in Eastern Samar
54
5. April 21, 1995 (Ms 7.3): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive

On the 21st of April 1995, three large magnitude earthquakes occurred within a
25 minute-period in the offshore area east of Samar Island. The events occurred
at 8:09 AM, 8:30 AM and 8:34 AM. The first event had a magnitude of Ms 6.9, the
second had a Ms of 7.2 and the third had a Ms of 7.3. The first two events did not
cause serious damage but the third one at 8:34 AM caused damages in the
towns of Borongan and Sulat in Eastern Samar province (Tungol et al, 1995). This
quake was felt as far as Davao City in the south and Legaspi City in the north. A
local tsunami with maximum wave height of 10 cm was recorded by the Legaspi
City port tide gauge for the 8:34 AM quake (Figure 30). No report on tsunami
observation was gathered from towns fronting the epicenter such as Arteche,
San Policarpo and Oras. In the town of Taft, people panicked and went up to
higher grounds but no tsunami was observed according to policeman Tito Mojica
(Salcedo, Hernandez and Evangelista, 2009, personal eyewitnesses’ interviews).
Minor sea wave oscillation was noted in the town of Dolores in Eastern Samar
province (Tungol et al, 1995). Meanwhile, other eyewitnesses named Mr Inigo and
Ms Fe from Bgy Poblacion 3 in the town of San Julian which is about 50 km from
the epicenter recounted that after the strong shaking, they noticed the recession
of the sea by as much as 150 m, then a 2-m high wave appeared and inundated
land up to 40 m from shore causing a 30 cm deep flood in the affected area
They also heard a distinct sound like an airplane roar and which lasted for one
minute. They saw two waves hitting the shore. Tsunami probability is ranked as
“positive” and height is two meters in the town of San Julian.
Figure 30. The April 21, 1995 (Ms 7.3) Tsunami in Dolores
55
6. August 31, 2012 (Mw 7.6): (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive)
Magnitude: Mw 7.6
This earthquake occurred at 8:47 PM and was located about 112 km SE of

Guiuan, Eastern Samar. It was felt at varying intensities in the Visayas and
Mindanao provinces with PEIS VII as the maximum reported intensity. PHIVOLCS
immediately issued a Tsunami Alert Level 3 which means immediate evacuation
for the coastal communities of the Provinces of Northern Samar, Eastern Samar,
Leyte, Southern Leyte, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur. The National
Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) reported the tsunami in
Surigao City with initial heights of 16 centimeters and 19 centimeters at 10:48 PM.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) also reported a tsunami recorded by
the tide gauges in Legazpi City and Davao City with heights of three centimeters.
Reports were also received from Pilar, Surigao del Norte in Siargao Island with a
wave of not more than half meter. (PHIVOLCS Tsunami Bulletin No. 2). Tsunami
occurrence is ranked as “positive”. Height is less than a meter.
 Negros Island area
There are three candidate events and two (1925 and 2012) are confirmed
to be tsunamigenic.
Table 10: List of candidate tsunami events that affected Negros Island areas

1922 Sept 1 Quite Possible
1925 May 5 Positive
2012 Feb 6 Positive
1. September 1, 1922 (Ms 6.0): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Quite Possible
Magnitude: Ms 6.0 (Nakamura, 1975?)

Epicenter: 9.0 N. lat; 123.3 E. long (Repetti, 19?)
This quake occurred at 9:10 PM on September 1, 1922 and affected the SE part of
Negros Island. Strong ground shaking, landslides and fissures occurred.
Berninghausen (1969) cited a work of Repetti (1931) that mentioned about waves
56
that were observed along the south coast of Negros. One account mentioned
that the sea rushed towards an observer. This quake is neither in the USGS catalog
nor in the SEASEE catalog. Tsunami probability is ranked as “quite possible”.
2. May 5, 1925 (Ms 6.8 ): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive
Magnitude: Ms 6.8 (Gutenberg and Richter, 1954)

Epicenter: 9.3 N. lat.;122.7 E. long (Gutenberg and Richter, 1954)
The parameters of this earthquake is found in the Gutenberg and Richter (1954)
while its intensity descriptions are found in SEASEE (1985). It occurred at 6:07 PM
and was felt strongly at SE Negros island. Poorly built structures were damaged
and brick chimneys collapsed. The quake also affected the Negros Island towns
of Dumaguete, Tolong, Siaton, Tanhay and Bais. Damages were sustained by
poorly built structures in Bais and Isabela while a public school and a municipal
building in Siaton were also damaged. Landslides in the mountains near
Dumaguete buried 18 people, while roads were also cracked in this area. Only
the south coast of Negros was invaded by waves (SEASEE, 1985). Tsunami
probability is ranked as “positive”. Tsunami height is estimated to be 1-2 m in
southern Negros Island shores (Figure 31).
Figure 31. The May 5, 1925 (Ms 6.8) Tsunami in the southern coast of Negros Island
57
3. February 6, 2012 (Ms 6.9 ): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive
Magnitude: Ms 6.9
Epicenter: 9.97 N. lat.;123.14 E. long
This earthquake occurred at 11:49 AM and caused serious damages in the

Negros Oriental municipalities of Ayungon, Tayasan and Guihulngan. More than
a meter high waves were reported in the shores of La Libertad, Negros
Occidental. The highest of the wave disturbance was reported in sitio Looc, Bgy
Martilo in the same municipality (SPO1 Galileo P. Comendador, personal
communications, 2012).
 Bohol – Camiguin Island area
Table 11 lists the four candidate events and two (1923 and 1990) among
the listed candidates are confirmed to be tsunamigenic.
Table 11: List of candidate tsunami events that affected Bohol – Camiguin Island areas

1905 Dec 8 Probable
1922 Feb 27 Probable
1990 Feb 8 Positive
1. December 8, 1905 (M 6.5): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Probable
Magnitude: M 6.5
Epicenter: 11.0 N. lat; 123.5 E. long (Nakamura, 1975?)
An earthquake was reported by SEASEE (1985) at 4:22 PM on December 8, 1905.

The quake was widely felt in moderate intensities of III to V in the central Visayan
islands of Cebu, Negros, Panay and Leyte. SEASEE (1985) also placed the
epicenter, based on the accounts, in the offshore area between southwest
Masbate, NE Panay Island and northern Cebu and Negros Islands. This is slightly
north of the epicenter estimated by Nakamura (1975). The unusual sea wave
report came from passengers of a sea-faring vessel traveling towards Tagbilaran
port. On their way to Tagbilaran, the passengers reported that they saw
“confused waves suddenly spring up” (SEASEE, 1985) and it was only when they
arrived at their destination that they can explain the phenomenon. No
parameter for this exact event is found except in the Nakamura (1978) catalog
58
except that the time given is 12:22 AM of December 9, 1905. Despite that the
time and epicenters given by Nakamura and by SEASEE do not conform, what is
clear so far that although quite far from the Nakamura and SEASEE epicenter,
unusual sea waves were observed along Bohol Strait during the period December
8 to 9, 1905. Tsunami probability is ranked as “probable”.
2. February 27, 1922 (Ms 6.3): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Probable
Magnitude: Ms 6.3 (Nakamura,1978)

Epicenter: 10.2 N lat; 124.1 E. long (Repetti, 1931?)
The date for this earthquake is given by SEASEE (1985) as January 28, 1922 while
other authors such as Iida et al (1967) and Berninghausen (1969) gave its date as
February 27, 1922. It occurred at 4:41 AM and was reported as a strong quake
within the areas of Cebu, eastern Panay, western Leyte, Bohol and Negros Island.
In Cebu, old structures, usually made of coral limestone, were damaged. In the
centre of the city and another in the suburb of St. Nicolas, the shaking also
caused the collapse of two very old walls which are remnants of ruined buildings
and not connected to other structures. Most tile roofs, which were common in
Cebu at this time, suffered more severely. Three roofs partly slid down, one very
steep, the other was the old roof of the Recoletos Church and Convent and the
other was the roof of a private house. Meanwhile, the roof of the Bishop's Palace
partially caved in, too. In Mactan Island and in some areas north of Cebu, there
were cracks in the ground. There were also rumbling sounds coincident with the
main shock. Unusual sea waves were observed after the quake along the
passage between Cebu and Mactan island (Sieberg, 1932; Iida et al 1967). It
reportedly broke submarine cables between Cebu and Masbate and Burias
island (Repetti, 1931?; Berninghausen 1969). Tsunami probability is ranked as
“probable”.
3. July 18, 1923 (Ms 5.5): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive
Magnitude: Ms 5.5 (Nakamura, 1978)

This earthquake occurred at 10:42 AM on July 18, 1923. The data are found in the
Manila Central Observatory catalog. Its magnitude was derived from Nakamura
(1978) and most significantly, the magnitude is only 5.5, which is the lowest
magnitude earthquake event with a positive tsunami report. Berninghausen
(1969) cited a work by Repetti (1931) about the observance of waves associated
with this earthquake that were reported in Mambajao and Camiguin island that
lasted for about an hour. The account stated that several minutes after an
earthquake, big waves coming from Surigao Strait were observed at Mambajao
59
and inundated the coast. This is not found in SEASEE (1985). Tsunami probability is
ranked as “positive”. The height is estimated to be about a meter in Mambajao
(Figure 32).
Figure 32. The July 18, 1923 (Ms 5.5) Tsunami in Mambajao

This earthquake occurred at 3:15 PM on February 8, 1990. It caused severe

damage to the towns located in the NE portion of Bohol Island. It was felt at
intensity VII in Garcia Hernandez, Loboc, Valencia and Anda, Intensity VI in
Tagbilaran City and in other towns of Bohol and in the neighboring islands of
Cebu and Camiguin. Intensity V was felt over areas of Cagayan de Oro in
Mindanao, Dumaguete City in Negros, Intensity IV in the areas of Canlaon in
Negros and Cotabato City in Mindanao Island. Intensities ranging from I to III
were also reported as far as Palo in Leyte and Bislig in Surigao. In the town of
Guindulman, dikes in some 200,000 sq.m. of fishponds either cracked or
60
collapsed. Mud erupted from these ponds killing cultured fish and prawns.
Meanwhile, the bridge connecting the towns of Jagna and Duero collapsed
while roads to Anda sustained cracks and fissuring. Landslides and rockfalls
blocked some portions of the roads between Anda and Garcia Hernandez
hampering accessibility to these areas. Six persons died and more than 200 were
injured. About 46,000 people were displaced while at least 7,000 among them
were rendered homeless. Estimated damage to properties amounted to 154
million pesos. The force of the incoming waves from the sea caused Alijuan River
in Duero to flow inland immediately after the earthquake. Very localized tsunami
in Bohol Strait and Camiguin shoreline (Umbal et al, 1990) were observed (Figure
33). Tsunami probability ranking is “positive”. Tsunami height is estimated to be 1
m in Duero and Camiguin Island shoreline facing Bohol.
Figure 33. The February 8, 1990 (Ms 6.6) Tsunami in Bohol
61
H) Tsunamis in Mindanao
There are 19 candidate events and 12 (Figure 34) are confirmed to be

tsunamigenic. Discussions will be based on areas affected.
Figure 34. Tsunamigenic earthquakes affecting Mindanao Island
 Eastern Mindanao
For eastern Mindanao, there are nine candidate events (Table 12) and
five (Figure 35) are confimed tsunamigenic.
Table 12: List of candidate tsunami events that affected eastern Mindanao areas

1913 March 14 Possible
1921 Nov 12 Positive
1924 April 30 Probable
1929 Jun 13 Positive
1932 Mar 19 Doubtful
1952 Mar 19 Positive
1972 Dec 2 Doubtful
1992 May 17 Positive
62
Figure 35. Tsunamis affecting eastern Mindanao
1. March 14, 1913 (Ms 7.9): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Possible
Magnitude: Ms 7.9 (Abe and Noguchi, 1983)

Epicenter: 4.5 N. lat.; 126.5 E. long (Gutenberg and Richter, 1954)
The earthquake occurred at 4:45 AM on March 14, 1913 and was felt over a big
area like Mindanao Island and as far as northern Indonesia (Berninghausen,
1969). The epicenter is in the offshore area in southern Philippine Sea region
much nearer to the Indonesian islands of Sangihe and Halmahera rather than to
the Philippines. Destruction also reported in Palau Sangihe and Palau-Palau
Talaud. In the Philippines, the nearest area is the province of Sarangani in the
island of Balut. In Sarangani, about 155 km from the epicenter, heavy trees and
posts fell. In the town of Davao, much farther at 306 km away, the quake was felt
very violently and with a long duration. Shaking was so intense that people could
not stand. Some church walls were damaged. The quake was notable for its
very long duration lasting from 1 to 5 minutes as perceived in various places in
Mindanao Island such as in the towns of Jabonga, Cabadbaran, Butuan,
Tandag, Talacogon and Loreto in the then province of Agusan, in Cotabato,
Surigao del Sur, Zamboanga, Dapitan, Cagayan reports indicate that the
earthquake had an extraordinary duration. It was also perceptible in Cebu, Bohol
63
and Leyte. According to Mr. Generoso Copin, an observer in Butuan, along
Surigao Strait, about 545 km away from the epicenter, some fishermen felt the
quake and caused waves to rise (Visser, 1921; SEASEE, 1985). Mr. Copin also
noted that water along the Agusan River was agitated a good deal and moved
caused boats to rock greatly (SEASEE, 1985). Tsunami probability is ranked as
“possible”.

Epicenter: 8.0 N. lat; 127.0 E. long (Gutenberg and Richter, 195?)
This earthquake occurred at 2:36 AM on November 12, 1921. Its epicenter is at the
Philippine Sea region east of Mindanao Island. Fronting the epicenter is the town
of Lingig of the province of Surigao del Sur and the town of Cateel of the
province of Davao Oriental, located 64 and 66 km away from the epicenter,
respectively. However, no reports are available from these towns. The only
damage documented were from the Davao Oriental towns of Manay and
Caraga, 87 and 88 km away from the epicenter where some wooden structures
collapsed (SEASEE, 1985). The quake was felt as far as Sulawesi Island in
Indonesia. Waves were observed at Manay in Davao Oriental (Figure 36) and in
east coast of Mindanao island (Algue, 1924; Repetti, 1931; Berninghausen, 1969)
which inundated some low lying bays in the coast and damaged some
plantations. SEASEE (1985) mentioned that waves invaded the few low-lying bays
in the town of Mati (Figure 37). Crops in Manay were also damaged. In Caraga,
there were also subterranean rumblings and great disturbance in the sea.
Tsunami was also observed at Sangihe Island. Tsunami ranking is assessed as
“positive”. Height is estimated to be 1 m in Mati and about 2 m in Caraga and
Manay.
Figure 36. The November 12, 1921 (Ms 7.5) Tsunami in Manay, Caraga and Mati
64
Figure 37. The November 12, 1921 (Ms 7.5) Tsunami in Manay, Caraga and Mati
3. April 15, 1924 (Ms 8.3): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive
Magnitude: Ms 8.3 (Abe, 1981) Tsunami Magnitude (m) = 0? (Iida et al, 1967)
This quake occurred at 12:20 AM on April 15, 1924. Its epicenter is along the
Philippine Sea region fronting the eastern Mindanao province of Davao Oriental.
Despite its magnitude, the earthquake caused not so serious damages. The
nearest populated area at this time was the town of Mati in the province of
Davao Oriental. In this town, houses were mostly made of wood and light
materials. Objects inside these wooden homes tumbled and fell. Some homes
made of bamboo also collapsed. Masonry structures were undamaged. Most of
the damages ascribed to this earthquake were to the environment such as
landslides and subsidence due to liquefaction. Landslides and rockfalls were
observed in the steep hills. A part of the shore near Pujada Bay sank by about 0.5
m (Iida et al, 1967; SEASEE, 1985). Tsunami is said to have flooded low lying
65
coastal areas but with no considerable damage. The tsunami itself was not
observed in the Mati shores. Onboard an anchored steamer along Caraga Bay,
about 90 km from epicenter, the quake was felt as sharp knocks when suddenly
the sea became terribly rough. The waves threatened to cut the boat’s anchor.
The observer also noted that when this happening, big waves were observed to
break along the cliffs along the nearby coast (SEASEE, 1985) (Algue, 1924; Repetti,
1931; Berninghausen, 1969). Tsunami probability is ranked as “positive”. Estimated
tsunami height in Pujada Bay is about 2 m (Figure 38). Iida et al (1967) estimated
the tsunami magnitude to be 0.
Figure 38. The April 15, 1924 (Ms 8.3) Tsunami at Pujada Bay
4. April 30, 1924 (Ms 7.3): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Probable

This earthquake occurred at 11:04 AM on April 30, 1924. It was felt all
throughout Mindanao island in the Philippines and as far as Talaud Island in
Indonesia in the south. Its epicenter is in the Philippine Sea region fronting the
Surigao del Sur provinces of Hinatuan and Bislig, about 25 km and 36 km from the
epicenter, respectively. In Bislig, well built structures were undamaged while
poorly built ones suffered damages. Among the damaged structures were a
hospital which was poorly constructed. Native houses made of light materials and
66
also poorly-constructed fell. Lateral spreading were observed in areas near the
Agusan River while landslides were reported in mountainous areas near the
Pacific shore. River water splashed to the other side. There was no specific
damage mentioned for the town of Hinatuan. Except for the effect to Agusan
River, the SEASEE (1985) report failed to mention any tsunami along the Philippine
Sea region. However, Berninghausen (1969) citing a work of Repetti (1931)
mentioned waves in Bislig and Hinatuan towns in Surigao del Sur province. Based
on these information, tsunami probability is ranked as “probable”.
Magnitude: Ms 7.2 (Abe, 1981) Tsunami Magnitude (m) = 0? (Iida et al 1967)

This quake occurred at 5:24 PM on June 13, 1929. It was felt strongly in eastern
Mindanao. In Hinatuan, the nearest town to the epicenter at 74 km, people
could not stand and had to kneel because of the intense shaking. Old houses
were destroyed or damaged including the front wall and roof of a church.
Landslides were observed in the mountains. South of Hinatuan is the town of
Cateel, located 99 km from epicenter, strong shaking was also experienced.
Other places where intense shaking were observed were the Agusan del Sur
towns of Talacogon, Esperanza, Butuan and barangay Ebro in the town of San
Francisco. After the quake, a small wave was reported in Hinatuan Bay (Repetti,
1931; Heck, 1947; Iida et al, 1967; Berninghausen, 1969; SEASEE, 1985). From Cape
Lamon to Hinatuan, coast was covered by dead fish of various sizes, the biggest
of which was 30 inches. Another eyewitness saw the Agusan River flowing
backwards (Figure 39). Iida et al (1967) assessed the tsunami magnitude to be 0.
Tsunami probability is ranked as “positive”. Tsunami height is estimated to be 2 m
in Hinatuan Bay.
Figure 39. The June 13, 1929 (Ms 7.2) Tsunami at Hinatuan Bay
67
6. March 19, 1932 (M 7.8): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Doubtful
Magnitude: M 7.8
An unconfirmed report stated that a wave affected Mindanao. This is not found
in SEASEE (1985) catalog. This probably was mistakenly referred to the March 19,
1952 earthquake and tsunami. Tsunami probability is ranked as doubtful.
Magnitude: Ms 7.6 (Abe, 1981) Tsunami Magnitude (m) = 0? (Iida et al, 1967)
Epicenter: 9.5 N. lat; 127.25 E. long (Gutenberg, 1956)
This quake occurred at 6:57 PM on March 19, 1952. The epicenter is at the
Philippine Sea region. It was felt as far as north in Samar and Panay Islands in the
Visayan region and Dipolog in western Mindanao and in almost the whole of
Mindanao island. The nearest towns to the epicenter are Cortes and Tandag of
the province of Surigao del Sur which are located 118 km away. However, the
highest intensity was reported for Butuan where cracks in the town church were
observed. Meanwhile, no tsunami based on eyewitness’ account was reported in
any of the areas in the Philippines. However, in other places in the Pacific
according to Iida et al (1967), a tsunami height of 0.7 m was observed at Palau
island – Angauer and <0.1 m at Caroline island – Yap. Travel times were estimated
by Iida et al (1987) from Palau island to be 1.1 hr and to Caroline island to be 1.8
hr. References cited by Iida et al (1967) are works of Zerbe, 195?, Murphy and
Ulrich, 1954, BSSA, 1952, 1952b, 1953 and1954. Tsunami probability is ranked as
“positive”. Tsunami height is estimated to be less than 1 m (Figure 40) in the
eastern coast of Mindanao fronting the epicentral area.
Figure 40. The March 19, 1952 (Ms 7.6) Tsunami at the eastern coasts of Mindanao
68
8. December 2, 1972 (Ms 7.4): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Doubtful
Magnitude: Ms 7.4 (USGS) Tsunami Magnitude (m): 2 (Hatori,1994)

This earthquake occurred at 8:19 AM on December 2, 1972. It was felt at many

places in Mindanao at the highest intensity of V in Cagayan de Oro, Malaybalay
and General Santos. A small tsunami was mentioned by some authors, however,
there is no mention of tsunami in the SEASEE (1985) catalog. Hatori (1994)
estimated its tsunami magnitude to be 2. However, based on existing accounts,
tsunami probability is assessed as doubtful.
9. May 17, 1992 (Ms7.1): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive

There were two earthquakes 26 minutes apart on May 17, 1992 which affected
eastern Mindanao within a 50 km2 area. The first event occurred at 5:49 PM while
the second one at 6:15 PM. Both affected the municipalities of Cateel, Manay,
Caraga and Baganga of the province of Davao Oriental in eastern Mindanao.
Based on eyewitness accounts and tide gauge data, the first event generated
the tsunami which were observed in the towns of Caraga and Manay, both
belonging to the eastern Mindanao province of Davao Oriental. In barangay
Santa Fe, Caraga, the residents saw the sea retreat by about 50 meters offshore.
This was followed by the onrush of waves which carried them for about two
minutes. The impact of the onrushing wave was so strong that it uprooted a
shallow, 4-m tall coconut palm tree standing along the shore. Six fishermen each
aboard their fishing boats were washed ashore. Meanwhile, several boats
located along the coast were destroyed by the oncoming giant waves. Residents
estimated the wave height to be about 3 m high (Perez, 2001). North of Caraga
is the town of Manay. The earthquake was felt as having vertical motion and
accompanied by rumbling sounds. In sitio Bunga of the town of Manay, 12 stilt
houses were destroyed by a 5-meter high tsunami near the shoreline (Perez,
2001). The residents recounted that they observed a series of at least three
tsunami waves (the third being the tallest) coming in quick succession in less than
a minute of time interval (Figure 41). Based on the extent of dead vegetation and
sand distribution in the sloping parts of the area, the estimated height could have
been 3-5 m. The sudden inflow of sea water created a temporary flow reversal of
a small creek about 20-30 m inland. Tsunami probability is ranked as “positive”.
The maximum height attained was 5 m based on accounts.
69
Figure 41. The May 17, 1992 (Ms 7.1) Tsunami at Caraga
 Tsunami in Western Mindanao
There is only one tsunami (Table 13) reported for western Mindanao and
this occurred in 1897. This may be considered as one of the biggest tsunamis in
the Philippines.
Table 13: List of candidate tsunami event that affected western Mindanao areas
and its probability ranking
1897 Sept 21 Positive
1. September 21, 1897 (Ms 7.5): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive
Magnitude: Ms 7.5 (Abe, 1994) Tsunami Magnitude (m) = 1? (Iida et al, 1967
Epicenter: 7.5 N. lat.; 121.3 E. long (Bautista and Oike, 2000)
This quake occurred at 1:12 PM on September 21, 1897. It severely affected the
provinces of Zamboanga, Basilan and Jolo. The tsunami was reported by several
eyewitnesses. A ship captain while along the Sulu Sea felt the quake and almost
70
at the same time, he narrated that he saw the ensuing tsunami travel towards the
west coast of Zamboanga (Maso, 1909). Meanwhile, in the island of Basilan,
waves of at least 6 m high were observed about 30 minutes after the quake. The
wave swept a market and local settlements killing unknown numbers of
individuals (Berninghausen, 1969). The unusual waves persisted for two hours
(Maso, 1909). In the present-day city of Zamboanga, waves were observed 1 ½
hours after the event. The waves swept the coastal settlements (Figure 42). The
report stated that the tsunami started with a recession of the sea (Maso, 1909). In
the island of Jolo, a wave was observed and was repeated at every 15-minute
interval (Letter of Fr. Colomer, 1897; Repetti, 1946). The rise and fall of waves
lasted for one hour (Maso, 1909). Other places which reported increase in water
level were (Figure 42): Port Santa Maria in the town of Siokon (2m), Dapitan Bay (2
m), SW Negros, southern Panay, Cuyo, southern Palawan, northern Borneo and
Sibuguey Gulf (Nature, 1900, Maso, 1910, Milne 1912, Repetti, 1946,
Berninghausen, 1969). Tsunami probability is assessed as “positive”. Maximum
tsunami height is estimated to be 6 m in the present-day Zamboanga City.
Meanwhile, Iida et al (1967) gave its tsunami magnitude to be 1.
Figure 42. The September 21, 1897 (Ms 7.5) Tsunami of Zamboanga and Basilan
71
 Tsunamis in southern Mindanao
There are 10 candidate tsunami events for southern Mindanao and six
(Table 14, Figure 43) of these are confirmed events.
Table 14: List of candidate tsunami events that affected southern Mindanao areas

1889 Feb 5 Probable
1902 Aug 21 Quite Possible
1917 Jan 31 Positive
1923 Feb 23 Doubtful
1923 Mar 2 Positive
1928 Dec 19 Positive
1928 Dec 28 Doubtful
2002 Mar 6 Positive
Figure 43. Tsunamis affecting Southern Mindanao
72
1. February 5, 1889 (Ms 6.6): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Probable

This earthquake occurred between 4:00 to 5:00 PM on February 5, 1889. The

quake damaged an old government detachment house in Cotabato province.
The quake was felt by people on board a ship cruising along Moro Gulf. Sharp
shocks were felt which also frightened the passengers. The passengers noticed
that the water became turbid and that mud from the sea bottom was agitated
and formed whirls. No other unusual waves were observed (Oceania, February
16, 1889?; Maso, 1909; Repetti, 1946; SEASEE, 1985). Probability of tsunami is
ranked as “probable”.
2. August 21, 1902 (Ms 7.5 ): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Quite Possible
Magnitude: Ms 7.5 (Nakamura, 1978) Tsunami Magnitude (m) = 0? (Iida et al , 1967)

Epicenter: 7.5 N. lat; 123.5 E. long (Nakamura, 1978)
This earthquake occurred at 7:17 PM on August 21, 1902. The location was given
by Nakamura (1978) and was located in the offshore area of Illana Bay.
Nakamura also estimated its magnitude. It caused the collapse of many houses
in the Lake Lanao area (SEASEE, 1985). Meanwhile, according to works by Maso
(1909) and Maso and Smith (1919), all stone structures in the Lake Lanao-Illana
Bay area collapsed. An unknown number of casualties is also suspected. Great
fissures and landslides on land and sea, probably referring to Illana Bay was
mentioned. SEASEE (1985) mentioned fissures that opened in the lake area, in the
town of Malabang (province of Lanao), and which also gave out malodorous
smelling gases. The quake was also felt severely in Misamis and Cotabato. It was
moderately felt in Dapitan and Davao. Subterranean sounds were heard in
Dapitan while clocks stopped in Davao. It was felt as far north as Iloilo, in
Zamboanga in the southwest and Caraga in the eastern Mindanao. Iida et al
(1967) cited a work by Sieberg presumably published in 1932 which mentioned
that the quake broke telegraph cable. Iida et al (1967) also cited a work by
Kawasumi (1963) which listed only a quake, but no tsunami. Tsunami probability is
ranked as “quite possible”.
73
3. January 31, 1917 (M 6.4 ): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive
Magnitude: M 6.4
There is an account in the SEASEE (1985) catalog of a damaging earthquake that

happened at 12:02 PM on January 31, 1917. Only Nakamura (1978) was able to
give estimates of this quake’s parameters. Meanwhile, this event is neither found
in the PHIVOLCS nor in the USGS catalog. The account states that in the town of
Glan of the present-day province of Sarangani, wooden structures including a
government dock, school and many native houses made of bamboo and palm
leaves in barangay Glan Padidu in the town of Glan were destroyed. A newly-
built storeroom and the local school were destroyed while other buildings in the
town were damaged beyond repair. There were also ground disturbance and
landslides which killed 7 people in the district of Tuyan. A search for this place will
lead us to a barangay called Tuyan in the town of Malapatan in Sarangani
province. The account also states that a few minutes after the earthquake, a 1 –
1.5 m high wave appeared at the town of Glan (SEASEE, 1985). Tsunami ranking is
assessed as “positive”. Estimated height is 1.5 m in Glan (Figure 44).
Figure 44. The January 31, 1917 (M 6.4) Tsunami of Glan
74
4. August 15, 1918 (Ms 8. 0): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive
Magnitude: Ms 8.0 (Abe, 1981) Tsunami Magnitude (m) = 2.5? (Iida et al 1967)
The quake occurred at 8:18 PM. The quake caused great damage in Celebes
Sea coast. Waves swamped people and animals, washing away food stocks
and ruining harvests in low-lying areas. All boats were smashed or washed out to
the sea. In some points in Glan (Iida et al, 1967; Berninghausen, 1969), wave
height reached 7 m (Maso,1918; Heck, 1947), 2 m in Port Lebak (Maso, 1918;
Heck, 1947; Iida et al , 1967, Berninghausen, 1969), 8 m at south of Lebak (Maso,
1918), 2 to 2.4 m in northern Celebes peninsula (Maso, 1918; Visser, 1921;
Berninghausen, 1969), 0.2 m in Kii Kishimoto in Japan and <0.1 m in Honolulu,
Hawaii (Heck, 1947; Berninghausen, 1969). At Halmahera and Sulawesi Islands,
strong oscillations lasting 1-5 minutes were noted. The average height in these
islands is about 1 m. In North Celebes, the reported height is about 2 – 2.4 m
(Figure 45). At least six people died in the Celebes Sea area (Iida et al 1967). Iida
et al (1967) estimated the tsunami magnitude to be 2.5.
Figure 45. The August 15, 1918 (Ms 8.0) Tsunami at Lebak, Glan, Balut, Samal
75
5. February 23, 1923: Tsunami Probability Ranking: Doubtful
Magnitude: None Available

Epicenter: 9.3 N. lat; 125.0 E. long (source)
Berninghausen (1969) cited a work by Repetti (1931) that mentioned about

waves that entered the Rio Grande de Cagayan River in Cotabato on February
23, 1923. This event, however, is not found in any of the other existing earthquake
catalogs including SEASEE (1985), USGS and PHIVOLCS. Tsunami probability is
ranked as doubtful.

This earthquake happened at 12:51 AM (or 12:48 AM in some account) on March

2, 1923. It affected the southern and SW shores of Cotabato. This was also felt in
the islands of Bohol, Negros and Cebu. Unusual sea waves (Figure 46) were
noticed along the Cotabato shores and a few meters from the mouth of
Mindanao River (Rio Grande) (SEASEE, 1985). This is not found in Iida et al (1967).
Tsunami is ranked as positive. Height is less than 1 m in Cotabato shores.
Figure 46. The March 2, 1923 (Ms 7.2) Tsunami at Cotabato
76
7. December 19, 1928 (Ms 7.5): Tsunami Probability Ranking:
Positive
Magnitude: Ms 7.5 (Abe, 1981) Tsunami magnitude (m) =0? (Iida et al, 1967)
This is a strong quake that occurred at 7:27 PM. It was felt in the whole island of
Mindanao. Homes collapsed in Cotabato, Zamboanga and Davao. The severe
damage to Cotabato was attributed to poor construction, old buildings and poor
soil condition. The radio station at the town of Malabang in the province of Lanao
del Sur was damaged. A tsunami was observed at Illana Bay (Figure 47). A small
tsunami swept up the Cotabato River (Heck and Bodle, 1930 cited by Iida et al
1967) and did damage. Iida et al (1967) assessed tsunami magnitude as 0.
Meanwhile, 93 people died and 102 injured. Although the SEASEE catalog does
not mention a tsunami, tsunami probability is ranked as positive. Tsunami height
estimated at 1 m along the mouth of Cotabato River.
Figure 47. The December 19, 1928 (Ms 7.5) Tsunami at Moro Gulf
77
8. December 28, 1928 (Ms 6.9): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Doubtful
Magnitude: Ms 6.9 (GUT)

Berninghausen (1969) cited a work by Georgetown University (1926) about a

destructive earthquake and waves that struck the inland town of Cotabato at
10:19 AM on December 28, 1928. According to SEASEE (1985), the earthquake
affected the small peninsula that separates Sibuguey and Dimaguilas from Illana
Bay. The quake is said to have destroyed many native houses of Moros and
miners (SEASEE, 1985). It also caused slight damage to Cotabato and was also
felt in Jolo town in Sulu province and Zamboanga peninsula. Meanwhile, there
was no mention of tsunami in the SEASEE (1985). Tsunami probability is ranked as
doubtful (Figure 48).
Figure 48. The 1976 August 17 Moro Gulf Earthquake and Tsunami:
Tsunami Heights Observed
78
9. August 17, 1976 (Mw 8.1): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive
Magnitude: Mw 8.1 (Kanamori, 1998) Tsunami Magnitude (m): 3 (Hatori,1994)

Epicenter: 6.262 N. lat; 124.023 E. long. (USGS)
This earthquake occurred almost past midnight of August 17, 1976 at 12:11 AM.
People were mostly asleep and were only awakened by the shaking. Some were
not able to escape the large tsunami which ensued after a few minutes and that
killed more than 3000 inhabitants (Stratta et al, 1977). Acharya (1978), citing a
PAGASA report, gave the number of deaths as 4000 while Badillo and Astilla
(1978) estimated deaths to be about 8,000. The epicenter occurred at a shallow
portion of the subducting slab of the Cotabato Trench in the Moro Gulf area
(Acharya, 1978). Very strong ground shaking were experienced in many areas
fronting the epicenter. The differences in economic development of different
areas as well as local site conditions contributed to level of damage experienced
by particular sites. The city of Cotabato is the nearest developed urban center.
Severe damage was experienced in areas underlain by soft soil (Limeta, 1980)
where site amplification and liquefaction to some degree contributed to the
damages. Most part of Cotabato City was built on deltaic deposits of the Rio
Grande River. However, there is some elevated portion underlain by a firmer
limestone where no structural damage was observed (Stratta et al, 1977).
The resulting tsunami is considered as one of the most destructive tsunamis in the
Philippine earthquake history. Eighty-five percent of the casualties may be
attributed to tsunami (Stratta et al, 1977). Badillo and Astilla (1978) surmised that it
might have been as high as nine meters in the town of Lebak in Sultan Kudarat.
Most accounts (Badillo and Astilla, 1978) mentioned three to four distinct waves,
the earliest wave arrived around five minutes after the intense shaking (Figures
49). For those who witnessed the tsunami, it was preceded by a very noticeable
drop in sea level. It inundated almost all coastal towns of provinces bordering
Moro Gulf such as Zamboanga del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Cotabato, Sultan
Kudarat, Maguindanao, Sulu, Tawi-tawi and Basilan. The greatest number of
casualties (Figure 50) was from Maguindanao while the most number of people
who lost their homes came from Pagadian City (Stratta et al, 1977). Huts, drying
areas for fish including a wharf were either destroyed or washed away. The
waves inundated as far as 75 m (in Bolong, Zamboanga del Sur) to 200 m (in
Pagadian City) inland (Figure 51). There was also a report that it went as far a 1
km inland (Stratta et al, 1977). Specific areas where tsunami was reported in
Pagadian City, Bongo Island which fronts Cotabato City, Illana Bay, Balabagan
and Kalanganan in Cotabato City, an unnamed fishing village in Maguindanao
shoreline, Linek Maguindanao, Lebak in Sultan Kudarat, Malabang in Lanao del
Sur, Sacol Island and the villages of Bolong and Golli in Zamboanga City.
Newspaper accounts after the 2002 Palimbang earthquakes also disclosed that
waves also reached parts of Davao del Sur (Philippine Star, March 7, 2002) and
79
General Santos City (Manila Standard, March 7, 2002) during the 1976 Moro Gulf
Earthquake. Hatori (1994) gave a tsunami magnitude of 3 for this event.
Figure 49. The 1976 August 17 Moro Gulf Earthquake and Tsunami:
Time First Tsunami Wave was Observed
80
Figure 50. The 1976 August 17 Moro Gulf Earthquake and Tsunami: Number of Casualties
81
Figure 51. The August 17, 1976 (Mw 8.1) Tsunami at Pagadian City
10. March 6, 2002 (Mw 7.2): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive
Magnitude: Mw 7.2
The earthquake occurred on March 6, 2002 at 5:15 AM (local time). Its epicenter
as initially located by PHIVOLCS is at 6.1 N; 124.0 E or about 81 km SW of Isulan,
Sultan Kudarat. PHIVOLCS computed its depth of focus at 15 km. Its moment
magnitude (Mw) and body wave magnitude (mB) were computed by the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS) as 7.2 and 6.3, respectively. Based on the quake’s
location and mechanism solutions, its source is attributed by PHIVOLCS to
subduction along the Cotabato Trench. As of March 9, 2002, the Office of Civil
Defense (OCD) records show that eight people had died and 41 were injured
due to the earthquake. It affected 7,684 families in the provinces of Sultan
Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and South Cotabato including four cities
and 17 municipalities (OCD Memorandum dated March 9, 2002). The quake
damaged four road networks, seven bridges, 36 school buildings, 29 business
establishments, one megadike, two health centers and 17 public buildings.
Damage amounted to 4.175 million pesos or about 80,000 US dollars.
82
In Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat, a certain General Magsino reported to PHIVOLCS
that the sea was observed to have receded 150 m from the shoreline and it went
back 75 m inland. It had caused damages to two boats (General Magsino and
PHIVOLCS QRT Report). In Nolasco St. in Maitum, Sarangani water was observed
to have receded 300 m. A pumpboat was totally damaged and dead fish were
observed (PHIVOLCS QRT Report). A vehicle and two fishponds were also
reportedly damaged (OCD Region XII, March 7, 2002). Water receded 5-8 m
three times in Kiamba, Sarangani (Mr. Rommel Palge, local government office
(083) 509 4038). Afterwards, water was again observed to rise (Mr. Leonardo
Esteban, local resident (083) 509 4069). As a result, people went up the mountain.
About 90% of fish pens along Allah River and four houses were washed out in
T'boli, South Cotabato (OCD Region XII, March 7 and 11, 2002). Laconon, Datal
Dlanag, Salacafe and Tudok were isolated when the Sapali/Gao Bridge was
washed out by the floodwaters of Lake Maughan (OCD Region XII, March 6 and
9, 2002). Tsunami probability is ranked as positive (Figure 52).
Figure 52. The March 6, 2002 (Mw 7.2) Tsunami at Palimbang
83
PART II
Tsunamis Caused by
Earthquakes from
Other Countries
84
85
Tsunamis Caused by Earthquakes from Other Countries
November 11, 1922
Magnitude: 8.3 (USGS NOAA)

Epicenter: 28.5 S. Lat; 70 W. Long
This quake occurred near Coquimbo in Chile. According to Berninghausen (1969),

the tsunami was also reported in Samoa, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Papua New
Guinea, Caroline Islands, Australia and New Zealand. Berninghausen (1969) also
indicated that waves were reported in Zamboanga and Basilan. This needs to be
verified especially since Zamboanga and Basilan are located away from Pacific
Ocean.
May 22, 1960 South Central Chile Earthquake
Magnitude: 9.5 (USGS NOAA)

Epicenter: 39.2 S. Lat; 74.58 W. Long
This quake occurred in South Central Chile. There were three tide gauge stations
operating then in the Philippines. The three stations, Legazpi, Tacloban and
Hondagua, recorded tsunami waves of 1-3 m. The tsunami arrived 24 hours and 9
minutes in Legaspi and 26 hours and 1 minute in Tacloban. It was registered
much later at Hondagua at 26 hours and 4 minutes after the earthquake
(Berkman and Symons, 1964). Twenty people allegedly died as a result of this
tsunami across the Pacific Ocean (Berkman and Symons, 1964). Several
eyewitnesses were interviewed in the Eastern Samar towns of Sulat and Taft. In
Sulat, Mr Reno Lusico said that the event happened around 9AM in May 1960
At that time, he was taking a bath in a public bathroom near the shore. It was
high tide when suddenly the seawater receded and the waves when they
returned were taller than an average person’s height. He held on to the post of
the public bathroom because of the strong backflows. After two hours when he
was in a cemetery attending a burial, he again noticed a second wave but this
time the height was less than 2 m. In Taft, Mayor Adralin who was about 4 to 5
years old at that time, noticed that water suddenly rose and entered the plaza
area, usually located at the center of the town proper. Another eyewitness from
Taft, Ms Ana Apable, who was 19 years old at that time said that there was no felt
earthquake. It was around 8AM when she noticed that the sea water suddenly
rose and flooded the plaza area with about a foot high water. At that time, there
was still no settlement in the seashore area.
86
February 27, 2010 Offshore Maule, Chile Earthquake
Magnitude: 8.8 (USGS)

Epicenter: 35.909°S. Lat, 72.733°W. Long.
This earthquake killed more than 500 people in the Valparaiso-Concepcion-

Temuco area in Chile. The earthquake generated a Pacific-wide tsunami. In the
Philippines, some reports of unusual sea level were observed in the provinces of
Northern and Eastern Samar. Meanwhile, about 16-cm high wave was recorded
by the tide gauge in Currimao, Ilocos Norte.
March 11, 2011 Tohoku region, eastern Honshu, Japan
Magnitude: 9.0 (USGS)

Epicenter: 38.297°S. Lat, 142.372°W. Long
This Magnitude 9.0 earthquake occurred on March 11, 2011. Tsunami waves less
than a meter high were observed in communities in eastern Philippines such as
Albay, Sorsogon, Eastern Samar and Surigao del Sur.
87
PART III
LAKE AND RIVER

SEICHES
88
89
LAKE AND RIVER SEICHES
Seiches are large waves triggered by strong shaking due to earthquakes and
volcanic eruptions that are found in enclosed bodies of water such as lakes, bays
and even rivers. In the Philippines, several reports on the occurrences of seiches
were encountered by the author during the course of the conduct of research.
a) Seiches due to Volcanic Eruptions
1) Taal Volcano
 September 24, 1716
This seiche was caused by the eruption of Taal Volcano which caused a wave to
engulf a shore for 16.7 m wide (Maso, 1911; Worcester, 1912; Berninghausen,
1969).
 November 28, 1754
This seiche was again caused by the eruption of Taal Volcano. The volcanic
products destroyed the shoretowns of Taal, Lipa, Tanauan and Sala. A road to
Balayon (possibly Balayan) on the west side of the lake was also washed out by
the wave (Maso, 1911; Worcester, 1912; Berninghausen, 1969).
 January 30, 1911
A seiche again caused tall waves measuring 2.5 to 3 m high on Lake Taal carrying
houses and caused loss of lives in some villages (Maso, 1911; Pratt, 1911;
Berninghausen, 1969).
Several high waves measuring at least 4.7 m along the Taal Lake were caused by
the explosive eruption of Taal Volcano. The waves swept inland to as much as 80
m. (Moore et al, 1965; Berninghausen, 1969)
90
2) Bulusan Volcano
 December 25, 1933
The waves, possibly in Bulusan Lake, were due to the eruption of Bulusan Volcano
(reference unknown)
3) Hibok-Hibok Volcano
 February 21, 1871
Hibok-Hibok Volcano erupted in 1871. One author mentioned sea waves

inundating the Hibok-Hibok island.
b) Seiches due to Earthquakes
1) Cagayan River, Cagayan, Luzon Island
Magnitude: unknown magnitude

Epicenter: 18.5 N. lat; 122 E. long.
This quake occurred at 11:19 AM on September 5, 1949. It was felt at Tuguegarao

and Aparri at Intensity IV; Manila and Baguio at Int. III and Laoag at Int. II
(PAGASA, 1977). Seiches allegedly occurred in Northern Luzon, although the
exact place was not mentioned. This quake is not found in the SEASEE (1985)
catalog. The original PAGASA earthquake catalog gave the epicenter as 17.0 N.
lat and 121.0 E. long. Iida et al (1967) mentioned the Babuyan Channel as the
source area.
Magnitude: Ms 7.2 Tsunami magnitude (m) =1? (Iida et al,

1967)
Epicenter: 18.0 N.lat; 121.0 E.long. (Gutenberg and Richter, 1954)
This earthquake occurred at 11:03 AM on December 29, 1949. Based on the

original PAGASA record, the epicenter was at 17.5 N lat and 121.5 E long. But
Gutenberg and Richter (1954) relocated it to another point. This inland
earthquake caused severe damage to Isabela province and some minor
damage to Manila. It was felt strongly in the northern provinces of Cagayan,
Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Ilocos, even in the province of Batanes and the cities of
91
Baguio and Quezon. Fifteen people drowned in Cagayan River when their boat
sank and the rest were buried by river slides. The big wave killed one person near
Mercedes (Murphy and Ulrich, 1951b; Berninghausen, 1969). Murphy and Ulrich,
1954.
2) Pasig River, Metro Manila, Luzon Island

Epicenter: 15.6 N lat; 121.2 E long (Bautista and Oike, 2000)
River agitation and overflow at Manila after an earthquake on November 30,

1945 (Repetti, 1946; Iida et al 1967). Meanwhile, no tsunami was mentioned by
Repetti (1946).
 October 26, 1824

Epicenter: 14.2 N lat; 121.9 E long (Bautista and Oike, 2000)
Tremendous explosion near the river, then dead fish were found floating. This is
probably liquefaction rather than seiche.
 January 18, 1830

Epicenter: 14.3 N. lat; 121.85 E. long. (Bautista and Oike, 2000)
At 5:15 PM on January 18, 1830, an earthquake was felt in Manila. An account

told of a man who lived in one of the houses beside the river (probably Pasig
River) and who hurried downstairs during the earthquake and was met by water
rushing up the steps. The water also swished back to the other side of the bank
with a loud noise (Singapore Chronicle, March 25, 1830?; Ferussac, ---?; Perrey,
1860; Maso, 1895, 1927; Milne, 1912; Repetti, 1946; Iida et al, 1967; Berninghausen,
1969; Soloviev, 1970?; Nakamura, 1978). Iida et al (1967) thought that this was
probably the same as the November 9, 1828 earthquake. This was probably a
river seiche rather than a tsunami.
92
3) Laguna de Bay
 July 18, 1880

During the intense shaking, strong waves were generated inside the Laguna de
Bay (Laguna Lake) and a boat almost capsized.
4) Naujan and Baruyen Lakes, Mindoro Island
 June 11, 1969

Epicenter: 13.232 121.408 37 (USGS)
This quake occurred at 1:15 AM on June 12, 1969. It caused some slight structural
damages such as small cracks on concrete walls and floors in residential houses in
the town of Victoria in Oriental Mindoro. Glasswares and some other unstable
objects also toppled. Rumbling sounds were also heard during the earthquake.
There was a report that the people noticed slight movement of the lake during
the earthquake. The nearest lake to the town of Victoria is Naujan Lake.

Aside from the tsunami generated by this earthquake, lake seiches were also
observed during the quake. People living near shore at Bamban and Muntilago
village in the town of Victoria near Lake Naujan were awakened by the strong
ground shaking. There is a barangay called Montelago in Naujan town and this
could be the same village. Strong shaking was also reported in barangay
Bamtanin in the town of Victoria. Upon waking up, people saw half-meter
oscillations on the lake. They also noticed sudden murkiness of the lake water
probably as a result of lake bottom agitation. It took days before the water
became clear again. No damage was attributed to seiche since the lake water
oscillated with a wave height of less than a meter.
Meanwhile, another lake, Lake Baruyan which is the northeast part of Mindoro
Island near Baruyan River was severely shaken and the margins of the lake were
lowered. This was noticed by fishermen who were in the lake during the
earthquake. A few minutes later, a big volume of wave from the sea entered the
93
lake. Most of the water stayed in the lake and did not retreat back to the sea.
The volume of water was accommodated in the lake as a result of the
downthrown movement of lake bed due to faulting (PHIVOLCS, 1995).
Consequently, local residents noticed a significant deepening of the lake level.
A power barge measuring 19m x 32m x 10m which was originally anchored at the
mouth of Baruyan River was transported upstream for about 2 kilometers and
then stranded at the entrance of the lake due to shallow water. The PHIVOLCS
report surmised that since the wave that entered Baruyan Lake did not return
back to sea, the barge just stayed in place at the entrance of the lake.
5) Lanao Lake, Lanao provinces, Mindanao Island
 April 10, 1955

Epicenter: 8.0 N. lat; 125 E. Long.
Seiches in Lake Lanao occurred after the damaging earthquake of April 10, 1955.
A whole village on the west shore of the lake was wiped out (Murphy and Cloud,
1957; Seismol. Soc. Am., 1955). Water of the lake swished back and forth.
6) Lake Mainit, Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Norte, Mindanao Island
 July 12, 1911

Epicenter: 9.0 N Lat 126.0 E long (USGS)
This quake occurred at 12:09 PM on July 12, 1911. It caused severe damage to
the church and convent in the town of Talacogon in the province of Surigao del
Sur. A massive stone church in a place called Boston in present-day Davao
Oriental fell. Many places sank due to liquefaction including wooden houses.
Landslides were observed in the mountain region near Lake Mainit. Shaking was
so strong in some places like Cabadbaran (in present-day Agusan del Norte) that
the palm leaves almost touched the ground during the shaking (SEASEE, 1985). In
Lake Mainit, high waves invaded the shore and entered the land (SEASEE, 1985).
In the town of La Paz in present-day Agusan del Sur province which is near the
Agusan River, strong waves suddenly appeared that almost drowned strong
skillful oarsmen.
94
7) Agusan River, Agusan provinces, Mindanao Island
Magnitude: Mag 6.25 (Nakamura, 1978)

Epicenter: 9.0 N. Lat.; 125.5 E. Long. (Nakamura, 1978)
This earthquake occurred at 4:49 AM on December 30, 1910. This is not found in
the original PAGASA catalog although accounts are in the SEASEE catalog.
Accounts state that in the town of Butuan in the province of Agusan del Norte,
light walls fell and masonry structures cracked. Heavy bells rang and objects
overturned. Large waves were observed in Agusan River causing one boat to
capsize (SEASEE, 1985).
 March 14, 1913
Magnitude: Ms 7.9 (Abe and Noguchi, 1983)

Epicenter: 4.5 N. Lat.; 126.5 E. Long. (Gutenberg and Richter, 1954)
The account mentioned that an observer named Mr. Copin noticed that during
the earthquake, water along the Agusan River became strongly agitated and
caused boats to rock greatly (SEASEE, 1985).
 August 30, 1924

This quake occurred at 11:07 AM on August 30, 1924. Fortunately, this quake
affected a non-populated area. The nearest relatively developed town was
Butuan in Agusan del Norte where a poorly-built hospital was damaged. Poorly
built native houses fell. Landslides along the riverbanks of Agusan River fell but
this was limited to those banks with fresh river deposits. River water receded and
swished back to the opposite bank (SEASEE, 1985).
 June 13, 1929

The quake occurred at 5:24 PM and was felt severely in towns in NE Mindanao. It
also caused tsunami, landslide and liquefaction to occur. An eyewitness in a
place called San Vicente, located 2 km upstream of the town of Butuan,
reported that the Agusan River was observed to have shown a reversal of flow.
95
Rivers, probably referring to Agusan and its tributaries, were agitated and
overflowed its banks (SEASEE, 1985).
 August 13, 1934

This earthquake occurred at 7:15 AM and was felt in the central and eastern
Mindanao as well as central and eastern Visayas (SEASEE, 1985). Reports also
state that the waters of Agusan River were agitated.
8) Lake Sebu
 August 17, 1976
Magnitude: Ms 7.9 (USGS) Tsunami Magnitude (m): 3 (Hatori,1994)

Epicenter: 6.262 N. lat; 124.023 E. long. (USGS)
Aside from the large tsunami that this quake generated, the report of Badillo and
Astilla (1978) mentions a seiche that was reported in Lake Sebu, Surallah, South
Cotabato, due to the August 17, 1976 earthquake in Moro Gulf.
96
Discussion of Results
From the accounts, a total of 74 candidate events was selected but only
41 earthquake events are confirmed to have had associated and therefore
positive tsunamis. Each candidate historical event was evaluated based on
eyewitnesses’ accounts, specificity of reports naming places affected and clarity
of tsunami description. The results of the review show that the areas affected by
positive tsunami and their years of occurrences are: Batan group of islands
including northern Luzon coasts (1970, 2000), western coast of Luzon (1924, 1934,
1983, 1990, 1999), Metro Manila shores (1828, 1863), Eastern Luzon (1880, 1937,
1968, 1970, 1973), Mindoro Island (1928,1994), Bicol peninsula (1840), Visayan
region (1869, 1923, 1925, 1925, 1925, 1948, 1975, 1990, 1995, 2003, 2012, 2012),
eastern Mindanao (1921, 1924, 1929, 1952, 1992), western Mindanao (1897) and
southern Mindanao (1917, 1918, 1923, 1928, 1976, 2002). These tsunamigenic
earthquakes had magnitudes between 5.5 to 8.3, earthquake depths between
15 to 60 km and tsunami heights between 1-9 m. Table 15 summarizes these 41
positive tsunamigenic earthquakes. The largest tsunami events occurred at
Celebes and Sulu Seas in southern Philippines. Some areas had been affected by
tsunami more than once and among these are the Celebes Sea area, Manila
Bay, Calauag Bay and Caraga Bay. Meantime, three transPacific tsunami events
are confirmed to have affected the Philippines. These were the 1960 Chile (Mag
9.5) earthquake that reportedly reached heights between 1-3 m in Hondagua,
Lopez and killed about 20 people although the places where these happened
were unspecified. The second event happened in February 27, 2010 with a
magnitude of 8.8. Some places in the eastern shores experienced unusual sea
level changes although no casualty was reported. The third occurred on March
11, 2011 when less than a meter high tsunami waves reached the eastern coast
of the Philippines after a Mag 9.0 occurred in the Tohoku region in eastern Honshu
Island, Japan.
This catalog also lists river and lake seiches which occurred either due to
volcanic eruptions or earthquakes. Seiches were observed during the 1955
earthquake in Lanao Lake, during the 1879 earthquake in Lake Mainit, during the
1880 earthquake in Laguna de Bay, 1911 eruption of Taal Volcano in Lake Taal,
during the 1949 earthquake affecting Cagayan River and during the 1645 and
1830 earthquakes affecting the Pasig River in Manila.
The search for more documents continues and it is very probable that the
number of confirmed tsunami events may still increase. Some references remain
incompletely documented as original reports remain unseen by the authors. The
results of this catalog are presently being used in tsunami hazard modeling and
mapping in the Philippines. At the same time, these results are also important for
97
our neighbor countries such as Taiwan, China, Vietnam to know about tsunamis
originating from the Manila Trench and Indonesia and Malaysia for those tsunamis
originating from the Sulu and Cotabato Trenches so that they can use these data
in their own tsunami hazard studies.
98
Table15. List of the 41 confirmed Philippine tsunami events
98 Estimated
Date Local Time Epicenter Magnitude Maximum Places Affected
Height
9 November 1828 6:30 PM 13.7 N. lat; 119.5 E. long 6.6 1m Port of Manila
22 March 1840 8:30 AM 12.95 N. lat; 123.85 E. long 6.8 2m Sorsogon Bay
3 June 1863 7:30 PM 14.55 N. lat; 120.90 E. long 6.5 1-2 m Manila Bay
16 August 1869 3:00 PM 12.4 N. lat; 123.85 E. long 6.5 1m Masbate, Masbate
Puerto Real, Quinanliman and
18 July 1880 12:40 PM 14.90 N. lat; 121.55 E. long 7.6 2m
Tacligan in Real in Quezon
Siokon, Dapitan Bay SW Negros
coast, Southern Panay coast,
21 September 1897 1:12 PM 7.5 N. lat; 121.3 E. long 7.5 6m southern Palawan, northern Borneo
coast, Sibuguey Gulf, Zamboanga
City, Jolo in Sulu, Basilan
31 January 1917 12:02 PM 5.5 N. lat; 125.6 E. long 6.4 1.5 m Glan, Sarangani
Celebes Sea coast such as Glan in
15 August 1918 8:18 PM 5.5 N. lat; 123.0 E. long 8.0 8m Sarangani and Lebak, Sultan
Kudarat
Manay, Mati, and Caraga in
12 November 1921 2:36 AM 8.0 N. lat; 127.0 E. long 7.5 2m
Davao Oriental
2 March 1923 12:51 AM 6.5 N. lat; 124.0 E. long 7.2 <1m Cotabato shores
18 July 1923 10:42 AM 9.3 N. lat; 125.0 E. long 5.5 1m Mambajao, Camiguin Island
15 April 1924 12:20 AM 6.5 N. lat; 126.5 E. long 8.3 2m Pujada Bay
6 May 1924 12:16 AM 16.0 N. lat; 119.0 E. long 7.0 1m Agno, Pangasinan
5 May 1925 6:07 PM 9.3 N. lat; 122.7 E. long 6.8 1-2 m Southern coast of Negros
25 May 1925 11:44 AM 12.5 N. lat; 122.5 E. long 6.25 2m Tugdan,Romblon
13 November 1925 8:14 PM 13.0 N. lat; 125.0 E. long 7.3 2m Batag Island, Northern Samar
15 June 1928 2:13 PM 12.5 N. lat; 121.5 E. long 7.0 1m Mangarin Bay
19 December 1928 7:27 PM 7.0 N. lat; 124.0 E. long 7.5 1m Cotabato River and Illana Bay
13 June 1929 5:24 PM 8.5 N. lat; 127.0 E. long 7.2 2m Hinatuan Bay
99
Cont’d…
Estimated
Height
San Esteban and Vigan in Ilocos
14 February 1934 11:59 AM 17.5 N. lat; 119.0 E. long 7.6 2m
Sur
20 August 1937 7:59 PM 14.5 N. lat; 121.5 E. long 7.5 1m Lopez and Calauag Bays
Iloilo Strait, San Joaquin, Miagao,
25 January 1948 1:46 AM 10.5 N. lat; 122.0 E. long 8.2 2m Oton in Iloilo, and Nueva
Valencia in Guimaras
19 March 1952 6:57 PM 9.5 N. lat; 127.25 E. long 7.6 <1m Eastern coast of Mindanao
2 August 1968 4:19 AM 16.5 N. lat; 122.2 E. long 7.3 3m Casiguran Bay
15.761 N. lat; 121.717 E.
7 April 1970 1:34 PM 7.0 4.3 m Baler and San Luis, Aurora
long
30 September 1970 5:52 AM 20.59 N. lat; 122.02 E. long 6.0 <1m Batanes
13.372 N. lat; 122.787 E.
17 March 1973 4:30 PM 7.3 1.3 m Calauag and Alabat, Quezon
long
Bgy. Binogawan, San Policarpo
Bgy. Rawis,Can-Avid, Bgy.
31 October 1975 4:28 PM 12.54 N. lat; 125.993 E. long 7.4 1-2 m
Poblacion and Taft River, Taft in
Eastern Samar
Lebak in, Sultan Kudarat, coasts of
the provinces of Zamboanga del
Sur and Lanao del Norte, Bongo
Island, Illana Bay, Balabagan and
Kalanganan in Cotabato City,
17 August 1976 12:11 AM 6.262 N. lat; 124.023 E. long 8.1 9m Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat,
Maguindanao, Sulu, Tawi-tawi,
Basilan and Pagadian City, some
parts of Davao del Sur and
General Santos City, Golli and
Bolong in Zamboanga City
99
100
100
Cont’d…
Estimated
Height
18.231 N. lat; 120.860 E. Paoay and Pasuquin in Ilocos
17 August 1983 8:18 PM 6.5 <1m
long Norte
Alijuan River, Duero, Bohol, Bohol
8 February 1990 3:15 PM 9.755 N. lat; 124.694 E. long 6.6 1m
Strait and Camiguin Island
15.679 N. lat; 121.172 E.
16 July 1990 4:26 PM 7.8 2m Bgy. Darigayos, Luna, La Union
long
Sitio Bunga, Manay and Bgy.
17 May 1992 5:49 PM 7.183 N. lat; 126.753 E. long 7.1 ~5m
Santa Fe, Caraga, Davao Oriental
Puerto Galera, San Teodoro,
13.532 N. lat; 121.087 E.
15 November 1994 3:15 AM 7.1 8.5 m Calapan, and Baco island in
long
Mindoro; Verde island in Batangas
12.059 N. lat; 125.580 E. San Julian and Dolores, Eastern
21 April 1995 8:34 AM 7.3 <2m
long Samar
12 December 1999 2:03 AM 15.85 N. lat; 119.670 E. long 6.8 1.5 m Iba and Palauig in Zambales
16 July 2000 11:21 AM 20.33 N. lat; 122.21 E. long 6.4 <1m Savidug, Sabtang, Batan
6 March 2002 5:15 AM 6.1 N. lat; 124.0 E. long 7.2 2m Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat
15 February 2003 7:01 PM 12.17 N. lat; 124.08 E. long 6.2 <1m Ticao Island
6 February 2012 11:49 AM 9.97 N. lat; 123.14 E. long 6.9 2m La Libertad, Negros Oriental
31 August 2012 8:47 PM 10.83 N. lat; 126.71 E. long 7.6 <1m Surigao City and Siargao Island
101
Acknowledgment
The authors would like to thank the thoughtful reviews made by Dr.
Renato U. Solidum, Jr of PHIVOLCS-DOST and Dr. Paula Dunbar of NOAA. The
authors would like to acknowledge the additional information about the 1948
Panay, 1970 Baler, 1975 and 1995 Samar and 1960 Chile Earthquake and Tsunami
which benefited from results of eyewitnesses’ interviews conducted under the
UNDP-AusAid READY Project as well as from the DOST-GIA Tsunami Risk Mitigation
Project. Most figures were generated using Generic Mapping Tool (GMT) of the
University of Hawai’i made possible through the Rapid Earthquake Damage
Assessment System (REDAS) software of PHIVOLCS-DOST.
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1

Maria Leonila P. Bautista, Bartolome C. Bautista,

Department of Science and Technology

Published by : Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS)

Data and Methodology 7

PART I: Tsunamis Caused by Local Earthquakes 9

A) Tsunamis affecting Northern Luzon coasts 11

B) Tsunamis in Western Luzon 16

C) Tsunamis affecting Metro Manila shoreline 25

D) Tsunamis affecting Eastern Luzon 30

E) Tsunamis in Mindoro Island 37

F) Tsunamis in Bicol peninsula 42

G) Tsunamis in the Visayan Region 44

PART II: Tsunamis Caused by Earthquakes

PART III: Lake and River Seiches 87

Tsunamis are large sea waves caused by shallow earthquakes whose

Many previous authors have compiled worldwide tsunami catalogs that

Tsunami magnitude heights by other authors will also be included, if

Hatori (1994) computed for tsunami magnitudes for earthquakes

A) Tsunamis affecting northern Luzon coasts

The northern Luzon coasts referred to includes towns of the provinces of

Table 1. List of candidate tsunami events that affected Northern Luzon

Date of Occurrence Tsunami Probability Ranking

1627 September Probable

1954 September 4 Quite Possible

1970 September 30 Positive

1987 June 7 Doubtful

2000 July 16 Positive

1. September 1627 (Ms 7.5): (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Probable)

2. 1744: (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Possible)

3. 1950s: (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Quite Possible)

Magnitude: None Available

4. September 30, 1970 (Ms 6.0): (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive)

Magnitude: Ms 6.0 (USGS)

5. June 7, 1987 (Ms 6.1): (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Doubtful)

Magnitude: Ms 6.1 (USGS)

An article by Harper-Alonso (2002) in the Starweek magazine mentioned about a

Magnitude: Ms 6.4 (USGS)

At 11:21 AM on July 16, 2000, a Ms 6.4 earthquake occurred 30 km SE of Batan

B) Tsunamis in Western Luzon

There are nine candidate tsunamigenic earthquakes that affected the

Date of Occurrence Tsunami Probability Ranking

Figure 3. Tsunamigenic Earthquakes affecting Western Luzon

At 7:30 PM on December 7, 1677, an earthquake slightly damaged some old

2. January 26, 1872 (Ms 6.8): (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Probable)

3. May 6, 1924 (Ms 7.0): (Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive)

Magnitude: Ms 7.0 (Abe, 1981)

Fifty-two years later at 12:16 AM on May 6, 1924, a Ms 7.0 earthquake occurred

Figure 4. The May 6, 1924 (Ms 7.0) Tsunami in Agno

Magnitude: Ms None Available Tsunami magnitude (m) = 1? (Iida et al, 1967)

This earthquake occurred at 4:19 AM on June 3, 1924 based on the catalog of

5. February 14, 1934 (Ms 7.6): Tsunami Probability Ranking: Positive

Magnitude: Ms 7.6 (Abe, 1981)

6. September 5, 1949 Tsunami Probability Ranking: Doubtful

Magnitude: None available Tsunami magnitude (m) = 1 (Iida et al, 1967)

Magnitude: Ms 6.5 (USGS)

This earthquake occurred at 8:18 PM and caused serious damages to the 15

Magnitude: Ms 7.8 (USGS)

Figure 7. The July 16, 1990 (Ms 7.8) Tsunami in Luna

Magnitude: Ms 6.8 (USGS)

Table 3: List of candidate tsunami events that affected Metro Manila

Date of Occurrence Tsunami Probability Ranking

Figure 9. Tsunamigenic Earthquakes that affected Metro Manila shores