MANILA: An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 hit the Philippines’ northern island of Luzon on Friday and was felt in the capital Manila, shaking buildings and forcing the evacuation of offices and schools, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.
The Presidential place is among several key buildings in Manila that have been evacuated.
No tsunami alerts have been issued.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries in the earthquake, which the United States Geological Survey said struck 47 km (29 miles) northwest of Luzon, at a depth of 168 km (104 miles).
The Philippines is on the geologically active Pacific Ring of Fire and experiences frequent earthquakes.
The Philippines sits in the ‘Ring of Fire’, a large arc of faultines that circles the Pacific Basin and is prone to large earthquakes.
A 7.2 magnitude quake hit the province of Bohol in October 2013 in which more than 200 people were killed.
Phivolcs said that at Intensity II earthquake, few individuals at rest indoors feel the shaking. It also said hanging objects may slightly swing and still water in containers oscillates noticeably.
Phivolcs said the earthquake was tectonic in origin and aftershocks are expected from the quake, the initial report from Phivolcs said.
Five other quakes were recorded by Phivolcs on Wednesday morning in the provinces or Rizal, Davao Oriental and Biliran.