Most shocking earthquakes in the Philippines throughout the years

Magnitude: 7.8

Filipinos residing from Dingalan, Aurora to Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya bore the brunt of the earthquake that took place on July 16, 1990. The epicentre was located near the town of Rizal. The dangerous earthquake was caused by the strike-slip movements along the Philippine Fault Zone and the Digdig Fault. This massive earthquake did not spare Manila, as it also left at least 25 per cent of the houses in the city damaged.

Magnitude: 7.3

The town of Casiguran, Aurora, was struck by a destructive earthquake on August 2, 1968, leaving 261 injured and 270 dead. Several towering buildings in Manila were damaged, including eight-storey and six-storey buildings like the Aloha Theatre, Ruby Tower and the Philippine Bar Association’s commercial building. The cost of property damage? Several million dollars.

See also: Volcanoes, Typhoons, SARS, MERS, COVID-19: is the Philippines prepared for the next disaster?

Magnitude: 7.0

In 1973, an earthquake severely shook Calauag, Quezon, leaving 98 houses destroyed and 270 others damaged. The tremor was so destructive that it extended 90 kilometres away from the epicentre. Proof of this earthquake’s magnitude can be seen through the various ground breakages along the segment of the Philippine Fault and the mud boils formed near the Calauag River.

Magnitude: 6.9

On December 15, 2019, an earthquake hit Davao Del Sur, resulting in structural damage, with more than 210 people injured and 13 fatalities. Various schools and health facilities were also affected. Known to be one of the most seismically active regions in the Philippines, the Davao Region is also susceptible to rockfalls and landslides. Fortunately, the epicentre of this earthquake is inland, which means that a tsunami is highly unlikely to occur after an earthquake.

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Magnitude: 7.5

A powerful earthquake struck the southern Philippines on October 10, 2025, hitting off the coast of Davao Oriental, Mindanao, at 9.43am. Authorities issued a tsunami warning and urged precautionary coastal evacuations, though they later lifted the advisory after recording just minor sea-level changes. This recent tremor hit the country just over a week after a destructive quake near Cebu in the central Visayas. It also follows two powerful tropical cyclones, Nando (international name: Ragasa) and Opong (Bualoi), that recently battered parts of the archipelago.

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