By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Variety News Staff

THE Pacific Tsunami Warning Center lifted the tsunami alert for Guam prompted by the 8.2 magnitude earthquake that hit the Kuril Islands near Russia and Japan at around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Acting Gov. Mike Cruz, who also serves as acting Homeland Security advisor, deactivated the Emergency Operations Center.
Tsunami watches were mounted on Guam, as well as in Taiwan, the Philippines, Hawaii and island territories following the strong earthquake, lest there would be a repeat of the disaster two years ago when a quake in the Indian Ocean created giant waves that killed 230,000.
Wire agencies earlier reported a 16-inch wave occurring at Chichijima in the Ogasawara islands, some 1,200 km (750 miles) south of Tokyo, and several smaller waves on Hokkaido and northern Japan, but there were no reports of injuries and no immediate reports of damage.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center earlier warned that if a tsunami were to occur on Guam, it would hit at around 7:02 p.m. Saturday.
The Homeland Security Office and Civil Defense Office, however, continue to closely monitor the situation.