October of last year, upon a tip of a friend, I wrote in this site that there may be an active fault line that traverses part of Sta. Rosa. The image on the left below was released by the online version of ABS-CBN News showing the so-called Valley Fault System.

To see the full image click here to see the various active fault lines and trenches in the Philippines as lifted from Phivolcs’ website, then click on Region IV-A or CALABARZON.

By comparing the two images above, it’s apparent that at least the southern part of Sta. Rosa is traversed by this fault line. Everyone who saw these images came to the same conclusion.

The veracity of this issue has bothered me for a long time. This fault line has been discussed in at least one forum and has caused anxiety among some who have invested in real estate properties in the area. Most often mentioned is Nuvali.

Just this Tuesday, June 15, I received a question from a reader asking if Venare in Nuvali is traversed by this fault line.

To settle the matter ones and for all, I went to Phivolcs (Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology) yesterday and tried to find out what I could about the Valley Fault System. I was directed to go to the Geology, Geophysics, Research and Development Division. There, I was told that anyone can apply for a “fault certification” for any property or project that he suspects might be near or lies along a fault line. Such certification will either confirm or dispel such suspicion.

So for 500 pesos, I requested that they plot the Valley Fault System relative to the location of Nuvali. I also submitted three satellite images of Sta. Rosa that was given to me last year by Mrs. Nelly Gomez, Sta. Rosa’s City Assessor.

When told that they also needed a vicinity map of Nuvali, a staff helped me get online to secure this map.

Place your cursor on the cross hair in the middle of your screen to make the Nuvali map light up in yellow. Play around with it, zoom in and out, to examine the area. Note that places in Wikimapia are tagged by its users, including myself, to the best of our knowledge and we do not claim that our tags are 100% accurate. If anyone among you feel that the map of Nuvali is incorrect, I cordially invite you to join Wikimapia and edit it. Click on the Nuvali map then click “Menu” and choose “Resize outline (polygon).”

Be informed that serious users of Wikimapia do not take “vandalism” lightly; members have the responsibility to improve the maps, not make them worse.

Back to Phivolcs, I took pictures of a larger (3 feet by 2 feet) and more detailed map that shows the active fault lines in Region IVA or CALABARZON. Below is the map showing the Valley Fault System relative to the location of Sta. Rosa.

The slightly curving vertical broken lines inside the upright rectangle represent part of this fault line.

I will not make any conclusion based on this picture but I can’t help noticing that the fault line “appears” distant. What do you think?

I was told to call Philvolcs on Monday to see if the certification is ready for pick up. I will post the findings of Phivolcs as soon as I get my hands on it.

Update: I called up Phivolcs today, June 21, and was told that they are not yet done with the fault certification. I was told to call again on Wednesday for possible pick up the same day.

Thank you so much.

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