The earthquake occurred at 02:19 GMT 41 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of the City of Batangas with some 237,000 people in population. The epicenter of the earthquake was at a depth of 2 kilometers.
There have been no immediate reports of casualties or material damage.
Testimonials collected by the EMSC saw individuals describe the event as lasting between 30 seconds to a minute, underscoring in some cases that the quake produced a "strong shake."
"I felt the quake at first it is a small quake but it continue to be stronger and last about a minute," one user situated some 76 kilometers from the earthquake's epicenter reported.
Another individual wrote: "I thought I was dizzy until I saw my wire hangers moving."
No aftershocks have been reported.