The Philippine government has issued today a sea-level disturbance advisory for coastal areas facing the Pacific Ocean following a powerful 8.7-magnitude earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, but notably excluded Mindoro Island from the list of potentially affected provinces.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said tsunami waves of less than one meter are expected to reach Philippine shores between 1:20 PM and 2:40 PM Wednesday, July 30, 2025.

The agency advised people to stay away from beaches and coasts in 24 provinces and island groups, but Mindoro is conspicuously absent from the advisory list.

The provinces under advisory include the entire Batanes Group of Islands, Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, Quezon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, Catanduanes, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Southern Leyte, the Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Davao Occidental, Davao del Sur, and Davao de Oro.

PHIVOLCS warned that the first waves “may not be the largest and these waves may continue for hours.”

The advisory comes after the strongest earthquake to hit the planet since 2011 struck off Russia’s eastern coast early Wednesday.

The quake hit about 74 miles southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia at a depth of 20.7 kilometers.

The massive temblor triggered tsunami warnings for parts of Alaska and tsunami watches for the entire U.S. West Coast and Hawaii.

Japan also issued tsunami alerts following the powerful earthquake.

People living near shorelines in the affected Philippine provinces were advised to “move farther inland,” while boat owners were told to secure their vessels and move away from waterfront areas.

Boats already at sea were advised to stay offshore in deep waters until further notice.

The exclusion of Mindoro Island from the advisory suggests the province’s geographic position may shield it from potential tsunami impacts, though PHIVOLCS has not provided specific reasoning for its omission from the warning list.

The Philippines sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is regularly hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

photo courtesy of NASA (for illustration purposes only)