This story was first published on July 27, 2022. Due to recent events, we are republishing it with updated information.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is an earthquake-prone country because of its geographic and geologic settings, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

This is because the country lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, which the US Geological Survey (USGS) describes as an area where the Pacific Plate meets many surrounding tectonic plates. The collision of these plates makes the Ring of Fire the most seismically and volcanically active zone in the world.

As a result, the Philippines has numerous active faults and trenches that have generated strong earthquakes.

But higher-magnitude tremors do not always cause more destruction. Factors like depth, local geology, population density, and construction quality affect the overall impact of an earthquake, according to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Here’s a rundown of some of the most destructive earthquakes that have hit the Philippines in recent history.

1990 Panay earthquake

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Panay Island on June 14, 1990, leaving eight dead and 41 injured. Most casualties were concentrated in Culasi, Antique, where a peak intensity of VII was recorded, but the provinces of Aklan and Capiz were also heavily affected.

Landslides were noted along the slope of Mt. Madya-as. The volume of materials carried by the landslide was approximately 30,000 cubic meters in Bagacay. Total damage was estimated to be worth P30 million.

Phivolcs said the tremor was generated by fault movement in the collisional zone off western Panay Island.

1990 Luzon earthquake 

On July 16, 1990, a catastrophic earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck Luzon, creating a 125-kilometer-long ground rupture that stretched from Dingalan, Aurora, to Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya. 

According to reports by Phivolcs and USGS, it triggered “hundreds of thousands” of landslides throughout Northern and Central Luzon, causing multiple buildings to collapse and inflicting other major infrastructural damage across the Baguio-Cabanatuan-Dagupan area. (READ: FAST FACTS: The 1990 Luzon earthquake) 

An estimated 2,412 lives were lost during this catastrophe, and 3,000 people were injured. This was also the strongest earthquake recorded in the Philippines since the Moro Gulf quake of 1976, which had a magnitude of 8 and killed 8,000 people. 

1994 Mindoro earthquake 

On November 15, 1994, an earthquake of magnitude 7.1 hit Mindoro in Southern Luzon. Similar to the 1990 Luzon quake, this produced a 35-kilometer-long ground rupture and triggered a tsunami that brought the total death toll up to 78. 

Its intensity was so strong that it was felt as far as Pampanga in the north, Sorsogon and Masbate of the Bicol region in the south, and Iloilo in Western Visayas. 

According to Phivolcs Special Report No. 2, this devastating earthquake caused a total of 430 injuries, 67 damaged bridges, and 7,566 destroyed houses in 13 out of 15 municipalities in Oriental Mindoro. 

2002 Palimbang earthquake

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake rattled Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat, on March 6, 2002, resulting in a death toll of eight and injuries of 41. According to Phivolcs, a total of 7,684 families in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North and South Cotabato were affected.

2012 Negros Oriental earthquake

Negros, Cebu, and nearby islands were hit by a magnitude 6.9 earthquake on February 6, 2012. Phivolcs said it caused strong ground shaking, landslides, tsunamis, and ground deformation. A blind thrust fault along the eastern region of Negros Island triggered the tremor.

The earthquake left 51 dead, 112 injured, and an estimated P383 million worth of damage to buildings, infrastructure, and properties.

2013 Bohol earthquake 

On October 15, 2013, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 struck the province of Bohol in Central Visayas. According to the final report of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, 222 people died, 967 were injured, and 8 were reported missing. 

This was the deadliest earthquake to hit the country since 1990 at the time. In total, the catastrophe affected over 3 million Filipinos.

Over 79,000 structures, including homes, major roads, churches, schools, and public buildings, were damaged, 14,500 of which were completely destroyed, leaving 340,000 people displaced.  

2019 Mindanao earthquakes

In October 2019, three successive quakes ranging from magnitude 6.3 to 6.6 rattled Cotabato: the first with magnitude 6.3 on October 16, the second with magnitude 6.6 on October 29, and the third, just two days after, on October 31, with magnitude 6.5.

These quakes killed at least six people, injured hundreds, and left 8,000 residents homeless due to major infrastructural damage across the region. 

Following the earthquake swarm that hit Cotabato, another strong magnitude 6.9 quake rocked Davao del Sur on December 15. The earthquake left at least 4 people dead from falling debris. (FAST FACTS: The destructive earthquakes that hit Mindanao)

2022 Northwestern Luzon earthquake

A magnitude 7 earthquake hit provinces in northwestern Luzon and adjacent areas, including Metro Manila, on July 27, 2022, killing 11 people and injuring 609 more, according to Phivolcs. It was caused by the Abra River Fault with an oblique slip.

The tremor’s highest intensity was recorded in Abra, at VII. It caused a total of P2.6 billion in infrastructure damage and P74 million in agriculture damage.

2025 Cebu earthquake

A shallow, magnitude 6.9 earthquake jolted Cebu on September 30, 2025. It was triggered by the movement of a previously unmapped fault line, making it Cebu’s first major tremor in recent history.

The September 30 earthquake killed at least 81 people and caused widespread damage to homes, establishments, and infrastructure.

2025 Davao Oriental earthquakes

Doublet earthquakes of magnitudes 7.4 and 6.8 struck hours apart from each other off the coast of Davao Oriental on October 10, 2025. At least 10 were reported dead and 176 injured, while infrastructure damage was estimated at P143 million.

The twin tremors were caused by the Philippine Trench, which is capable of generating strong earthquakes with magnitudes above 7 along the country’s eastern coast.

2026 Sarangani earthquake

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Sarangani province on June 8, 2026, causing strong ground shaking in many parts of Mindanao and triggering a tsunami warning. At least 45 have been reported dead as of June 10, including 18 in Sarangani, 15 in South Cotabato, 11 in Davao Occidental, and one in Davao del Sur.

The tremor coincided with the opening of classes in public schools for the school year 2026-2027, immediately prompting class suspensions and evacuations in Mindanao. (Rappler Recap: SY 2026-2027 begins, but earthquake affects Mindanao schools) – Rappler.com