MANILA, Philippines – The earthquake swarms being experienced in Sultan Kudarat in Mindanao may lead to stronger tremors, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said on Thursday, advising the public to remain vigilant and be prepared.
“It may or may not lead to stronger earthquakes, so we advise the public, especially residents in the province and its neighboring localities to remain vigilant and practice earthquake preparedness,” Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol told The Manila Times in an interview.
Bacolcol said the offshore earthquake swarm began on Jan. 19, 2026 and has since generated a total of 2, 264 weak to moderate tremors as of 7 a.m., Thursday.
Of the number, the state seismology bureau said 677 were plotted, meaning they were recorded by the agency’s’ seismic monitoring stations, with magnitudes ranging from 1.3 to 5.9.
On one hand, it said that 63 were felt and assigned corresponding intensity levels.
According to Phivolcs, an earthquake swarm is “a sequence of mostly small temblors, occurring within a short period of time, without a single, clearly identifiable main shock.”
Bacolcol said that the Sultan Kudarat swarm occured due to the gradual release of tectonic stress along the Cotabato Trench, “which is the generator of these events.”
Asked if the ongoing earthquake swarm would lead to stronger tremors in the coming days, the Phivolcs chief said there was a possibility.
“However, it is also possible that these quakes would eventually dissipate,” said Bacolcol who declined to say how long the swarm would persist.
He recalled that this event was not new as “it happens from time to time in tectonically active areas.”
“The most recent earthquake swarms prior to the Sultan Kudarat activity occurred in Santa Catalina, Ilocos Sur in December 2024, which was associated with the Manila Trench and in Masbate in December 2025 which was related to the Sibuyan Sea Fault,” Bacolcol said.
“Let us remain vigilant and practice the standard safety procedure of duck, cover, and hold,” he added.
