The earthquake had a depth of 25 kilometres (16 miles) off the town of San Francisco in Southern Leyte province, USGS added.

San Francisco town rescuer Roxanne Sandoval told AFP there were no immediate reports of casualties, but "huge" cracks were observed on the walls of their municipal building.

"It was a strong shake that lasted up to one minute," Sandoval said.

"I thought it was just a strong wind, but then I felt the ground and it was as if it was spinning."

Sandoval said a team was deployed to check the severity of damage to roads and houses reported by residents.

Quakes are a daily occurrence in the Philippines, which sits along the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of intense seismic and volcanic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

Most are too weak to be felt by humans, but strong and destructive quakes come at random with no technology available to predict when and where they will happen.