The Philippines Return of the Vengeful King

A massive temblor shudders Manila and its environs, killing more than 700 people

According to Filipino myth, the earthquakes that regularly ravage the archipelago are caused by the exertions of a legendary Tagalog king as he tries to free himself from his prison cave. Last week the king bestirred himself anew. At 4:26 p.m. Monday, a massive temblor shook the northern island of Luzon. At its epicenter in Nueva Ecija province, north of Manila, it measured 8.0 on the Richter scale (last month's quake in northwestern Iran registered 7.7). One of the worst-hit cities was the mountain resort of Baguio, 150 miles north of Manila, where dozens of buildings collapsed. By week's end the...

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