TARLAC CITY, Tarlac (Oct. 16, 2025) – Residents in several parts of Tarlac were rattled by two early morning earthquakes that emanated from neighboring Zambales province on Thursday, with tremors felt in Mayantoc, San Jose, Santa Ignacia, and Tarlac City.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded a magnitude 5.0 earthquake at 2:09 a.m., with its epicenter located 8 kilometers northwest of Masinloc, Zambales. The quake struck at a depth of 24 kilometers. This was preceded just five minutes earlier by a smaller magnitude 3.2 tremor in the same area.
Despite the tremors, local authorities confirmed no damage or injuries.
According to Phivolcs’ intensity reports, the shaking was felt at Intensity I in the Tarlac towns, a level characterized as barely perceptible and felt only by a few individuals at rest.
This seismic event is a common occurrence for the Philippines, which lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire—a horseshoe-shaped belt around the Pacific Ocean notorious for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
The nation’s location makes it highly susceptible to seismic activity, with dozens of minor tremors recorded daily and several perceptible ones each year. The movement of major tectonic plates, including the ongoing subduction of the Sunda Plate beneath the Philippine Mobile Belt along the Manila Trench to the west, is a primary cause of these quakes.
