Several personalities took to Twitter to post and/or verify if they felt an earthquake on Wednesday afternoon.
State seismologists reported that a one-kilometer-deep magnitude 5.3 earthquake occurred at 1:05 p.m. with an epicenter near Tinaga Island at Vinzons, Camarines Norte.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the tremor was tectonic in origin.
The strongest instrumental intensity recorded was Intensity V in the towns of Mercedes and Jose Panganiban in Camarines Norte.
Phivolcs categorizes Intensity V as strong, describing it as “generally felt by most people indoors and outdoors.”
Quezon City, on the other hand, felt the quake at reported Intensity II.
Under this intensity, which is dubbed “slightly felt,” Phivolcs said few individuals at rest indoors felt the quake.
“Hanging objects swing slightly. Still Water in containers oscillates noticeably,” it said.
Meanwhile, the magnitude 5.3 quake was also felt in some parts of Metro Manila and its surrounding provinces like Cavite, Rizal and Bulacan, among others.
The agency said aftershocks are expected.
Prior to Phivolcs’ report, some Pinoys began posting about feeling an earthquake in their respective areas.
These include broadcast journalist Ces Drilon, former Comelec commissioner James Jimenez, journalist-educator Danny Arao and public accountant-lawyer Kenneth “K” Manuel.
Earthquake? A long one!
— Ces Oreña-Drilon (@cesdrilon) December 7, 2022
Lindol
— James Jimenez (@jabjimenez) December 7, 2022
BREAKING: There was a slight earthquake in the Marikina Heights area at around 1:08 pm. It lasted around 15 seconds.
— Danilo Arao (@dannyarao) December 7, 2022
oof lumindol omg
— K Manuel (@theklmanuel) December 7, 2022
Other Pinoys also noted how they initially checked Twitter to validate or confirm if an earthquake occurred.
Yes, lumindol. Love Twitter, our #1 platform for lindol validation chiz
— Klar (@klarissetandog) December 7, 2022
Minutes ago I felt an earthquake and I swayed 4 times… I told my teacher I would turn my cam off cause I felt it… Had to check twitter to make sure I wasn't trippin #lumindol #lindol #earthquake
— Rie (@nvm_yanamarie) December 7, 2022
Lol no one believed me na lumindol hahaha had to check twitter agad to confirm 😅
— george (@georgetteyvon) December 7, 2022
twitter is made for times like these. yes po lumindol.
— andrea (@andreaasudario) December 7, 2022
As of writing, the hashtag #lindol is the top trending topic on Twitter Philippines with over 1,500 tweets.
Other related hashtags and keywords such as “EarthquakePH” and “lumindol” were also among the trending topics, along with epicenter “Camarines Norte” and “Metro Manila,” where the quake was also felt.
Twitter prides itself in being the go-to platform for real-time conversations and happenings with its short-message format where people can quickly post thoughts and updates in a fuss-free layout.
The platform is built for fast information sharing, where contents and conversations are up to the minute.
“Whether it’s politics, world [and] local news, entertainment, sports, technology, or health [and] wellness, Twitter has become home to some of the most relevant conversations about news and current events happening around the world,” it said before.
