Palawan residents hear explosion, feel tremor from impact of unknown falling object

Several residents of Palawan' s Bataraza and Rizal towns said they heard an explosion and felt tremor when an unidentified object fell from the sky on Saturday night.

Junfred Calamba of Super Radyo Palawan reported Sunday that the falling object, which looked like a meteor, was seen at around 7 p.m.

WATCH: Pagsabog at pagyanig, narinig at naramdaman ng ilang residente sa Bataraza at Rizal sa Palawan matapos mamataan ang tila isang bulalakaw sa himpapawid kagabi. | via Junfred Calamba, Super Radyo Palawan

(????: Boyet Layang Patio) pic.twitter.com/dXHIOtq647

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) January 7, 2023

Eddie Bonsato from Bataraza Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) said he saw the falling object which was shaped like a ball. After 15 minutes, he said they heard an explosion and felt the ground shaking. 

Meanwhile, Rizal MDRRMO’s Anthony Lorenzo said they were still gathering information about the matter as they only received reports about the incident from local officials around 9 p.m.

Late last month, the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) urged the public to take precautionary measures due the expected falling debris from China’s rocket launch on December 29.

Based on the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to CAAP, the expected fall of unburned debris was projected to fall within a drop zone area located within the vicinity of Recto bank, approximately 137 kilometers from Ayungin Shoal and 200 kilometers from Quezon, Palawan.

PhilSA said the expected unburned debris include rocket boosters and payload fairing.

Moreover, the agency said the debris may also possibly float around the area and wash toward nearby coasts. —LBG, GMA Integrated News