OCCIDENTAL MINDORO / RankWire.AI / – A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck near Occidental Mindoro in the Philippines on Friday morning, sending tremors across parts of Luzon and Metro Manila. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, or PHIVOLCS, recorded the quake at 10:38 a.m. local time. It placed the epicenter about 13 kilometers southwest of Mamburao, the provincial capital. The earthquake had a depth of about 14 kilometers and originated from tectonic movement.
Officials first listed the earthquake at magnitude 5.8 before further analysis lowered the reading to 5.4. PHIVOLCS said aftershocks could follow the main tremor. The agency did not expect damage based on its initial assessment. Residents across Mindoro felt clear shaking during the late morning, while weaker movement reached neighboring provinces. The earthquake also affected parts of the capital region, more than 100 kilometers from the area closest to the epicenter.
Mamburao reported Intensity 5 shaking, along with several communities in Oriental Mindoro. Calapan City, Naujan, Puerto Galera, San Teodoro and Victoria reached the same reported intensity. Intensity 4 affected Taal in Batangas and the Occidental Mindoro towns of Abra de Ilog and Sablayan. Instruments also registered Intensity 5 in Mamburao and Puerto Galera. The strongest readings remained concentrated across Mindoro, where communities experienced the most noticeable ground movement.
Shaking extends into Metro Manila
The tremor reached Metro Manila and several provinces farther north of Mindoro. Instruments measured Intensity 3 in Quezon City, Batangas City, Calapan City and Victoria. General Trias in Cavite and San Pedro in Laguna also registered Intensity 3. Some building occupants in Manila moved outside as a precaution during the shaking. Normal activity resumed after the tremor ended and authorities continued checking conditions across affected areas.
Lower instrumental readings appeared in communities around the wider Luzon region. Parañaque City recorded Intensity 2, together with Santa Cruz in Laguna and Guinayangan in Quezon. Seismic readings differed by location as instruments measured varying levels of ground motion. Officials reported no significant structural damage in the initial assessment. Monitoring continued after the main earthquake as local authorities and seismic stations watched for additional tremors near Occidental Mindoro.
Revised magnitude sets latest official reading
The updated measurement placed the earthquake at magnitude 5.4 after specialists reviewed the first seismic data. The depth remained about 14 kilometers, with the epicenter southwest of Mamburao. Stronger shaking centered on communities in Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro. Weaker tremors reached Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon and Metro Manila. The spread of intensity readings showed that residents across a broad part of Luzon felt the Friday morning earthquake.
The Philippines experiences frequent earthquakes because several active tectonic boundaries surround and cross the archipelago. National monitoring stations track seismic events and update measurements as more data becomes available. Friday’s earthquake centered near Occidental Mindoro and produced widespread shaking without confirmed significant damage in the initial assessment. Authorities continued monitoring for aftershocks following the tremor. The latest official magnitude remained 5.4, replacing the stronger preliminary reading issued shortly after the earthquake.