MANILA (PIA) -- Following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit Türkiye and Syria recently, the head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has warned that it is possible for the Philippines to be hit by an earthquake with the same magnitude.

"There's always this possibility. In fact, it already happened on July 16, 1990. To recall, the 1990 Luzon earthquake was magnitude 7.8," said Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol in a recent public briefing.

Bacolcol added that the country has many active faults that can generate a magnitude 7.8 earthquake.

Based on instrumental records, the 1990 Luzon earthquake was the strongest to hit the country.

According to the agency's website, the 1990 Luzon earthquake created a 125 km-long ground rupture from Dingalan, Aurora to Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya. The earthquake was caused by strike-slip movements along the northwest segment of the Philippine Fault Zone and its splay, the Digdig Fault.

"We have several active segments in the Philippines. It's more than a hundred segments, but the longest is the Philippine Fault — 1,200 kilometers from Davao to Luzon," said Bacolcol.

The Phivolcs chief added that just last week the Philippine Fault moved, resulting in a magnitude 6 earthquake in Davao de Oro.

"People now are more aware than they were 20 years ago, and especially with the advent of social media. They see the effects of strong earthquakes like what happened in Turkey," he said. (