A video circulating on Facebook claims to show footage of a magnitude 5.4 earthquake that supposedly struck Baguio City on Oct.3, three days after a magnitude 6.9 temblor shook Cebu. This is false.
Records from the earthquake bulletin of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) show there was no major quake that occurred in Baguio City on Oct. 3. The video was taken last Sept. 19, 2025 when a magnitude 5.6 earthquake shook La Union and other parts of Northern Luzon.
Published on Oct. 3, the 10-second video shows a large number of people lining up by the roadside while a person in black directs others crossing the pedestrian lane. The superimposed text in the false video read:
“Earthquake. Magnitude 5.4 sa Baguio City. October 3-2025”
The caption of the 10-second video further stated:
“D PA nkarecover ang cebu ngpparamdam nmn ang L!ndol sa ibang lugar Jussko lord (Cebu has not recovered; earthquakes are being felt in other places, Oh Lord).”
A reverse image search led to a video posted by a user on TikTok on Sept. 19, 2025. The original clip included text at the top that read, “Magnitude 5.4 Happening Now Baguio City.” This text was deliberately concealed using an overlay in the false video.
In its caption, the TikTok user urged people to keep safe and noted that such situations would really prompt workers to leave their offices. The user asserted in the comments that the video was taken sometime before 4:00 a.m. that day.
On Sept. 19, the PHIVOLCS recorded a magnitude 5.5 quake that struck La Union at 3:52 a.m. The tremor was largely felt across Northern and Central Luzon, including Baguio City, which experienced Instrumental Intensity I.
There are no official reports from PHIVOLCS or any media outlet that an earthquake shook Baguio City on Oct. 3.
The false video surfaced after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake, triggered by a dormant fault line, struck Cebu province on Sept. 30. The quake destroyed homes, damaged bridges and roads, and resulted in at least 72 deaths and injuries to many. It registered the highest instrumental intensity of VII in Cebu City and parts of Leyte.
Meanwhile, a 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck a few northern towns and cities, including Baguio, on Thursday, Oct. 9.
Posted by an FB user, the erroneous video has so far garnered 5.9 million views, 48,900 reactions, 6,500 shares and 4,300 comments as of writing.
