The earthquake caused damage within an area of about 20,000 square kilometers, stretching from the mountains of the
Cordillera Administrative Region and through the
Central Luzon region. The earthquake was strongly felt in
Metropolitan Manila, destroying many buildings and leading to panic and stampedes and ultimately three deaths in the
National Capital Region, one of the lowest fatalities recorded in the wake of the tremor. The ceiling of a movie theater in
Pasay reportedly collapsed pinning a number of moviegoers. The
Southern Tagalog (nowadays
Region 4A (Calabarzon),
Mimaropa, and
Aurora of
Central Luzon) and Bicol Regions also felt the quake, but with low casualty figures. Then-president
Cory Aquino, who was having a meeting with
Senate leaders at
Malacañang Palace in
Manila, recounted that she hid under a long conference table during the earthquake. She later ordered the suspension of classes and the mobilization of relief agencies. The quake destroyed electric, water and communication lines in the city. The main vehicular route to Baguio,
Kennon Road, as well as other access routes to the mountain city, were shut down due to landslides and it took three days before enough landslide debris was cleared to allow access by road to the stricken city. Among the first rescuers to arrive at the devastated city were miners from Benguet Corporation, who focused on rescue efforts at the collapsed Hotel Nevada. Then Major Danilo A. Aquino of the Philippine Military Academy, was the ground commander under the supervision of General Arturo Enrile, mobilized cadet volunteers from day 1 of the rescue mission until the last day of the recovery mission. Miners hailed the Cadets as heroes for their act of bravery for staying in the buildings despite strong after shocks. A number of cadets were awarded the Bronze Cross for their heroic efforts. Teams sent by the Philippine government and by foreign governments and agencies likewise participated in the rescue and retrieval operations in Baguio. One of the more prominent buildings destroyed was the
Hyatt Terraces Baguio Hotel, where at least eighty hotel employees and guests were killed, including at least four employees of the state-owned
Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation which ran the casino. Three hotel employees, however, were pulled out alive after having been buried under the rubble for nearly two weeks, and after international rescue teams had abandoned the site convinced there were no more survivors. Luisa Mallorca and Arnel Calabia were extricated from the rubble 11 days after the quake, while hotel cook Pedrito Dy was recovered alive 14 days following the earthquake. All three survived in part by
drinking their own urine Cabanatuan In
Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, the tallest building in the city, a six-story concrete school building housing the Christian College of the Philippines, collapsed during the earthquake, which occurred during school hours. A 20-year-old high school student, Robin Garcia, was later credited with rescuing at least eight students and teachers by twice returning under the rubble to retrieve survivors. Garcia was killed by an aftershock hours after the quake while trying to rescue more survivors, and he received several posthumous tributes, including medals of honor from the Boy Scouts of the Philippines and President Corazon Aquino's Grieving Heart Award for his heroic effort that brought the world's attention to the quake due to quick media coverage in the city, since most of the buildings were damaged save for the CCP building which was collapsed totally. In other areas of Nueva Ecija, a school in
Guimba collapsed killing three students.
Dagupan In
Dagupan, about 90 buildings in the city were damaged, and about 20 collapsed. Some structures sustained damage because liquefaction caused buildings to sink as much as . The earthquake caused a decrease in the elevation of the city and several areas were flooded. The city suffered 64 casualties of which 47 survived and 17 died. Most injuries were sustained during stampedes at a university building and a theater.
La Union Five municipalities in
La Union were affected:
Agoo,
Aringay,
Caba,
Santo Tomas, and
Tubao with a combined population of 132,208. Many buildings, including the Agoo Municipal hall, the
Museo de Iloko, the parish church of Aringay, collapsed or were severely damaged. 100,000 families were displaced when two coastal villages sank due to
liquefaction. The province suffered many casualties leaving 32 people dead. ==Patterns of damage==