5 quakes rock Burias Island; 2 more rock Luzon, Mindanao

At least five quakes rocked Burias Island in Bicol Sunday, with one of them occurring before dawn, but state seismologists said no damage was expected. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the most powerful was recorded at 12:09 p.m., at magnitude 3.1. Phivolcs said the quake was tectonic, and its epicenter traced to 28 km southwest of San Pascual in Burias Island in Southern Luzon. Earlier quakes in the area were recorded at 3:14 a.m. (magnitude 2.7), 8:22 a.m. (magnitude 1.8), 8:23 a.m. (magnitude 2.4), and 9:02 a.m. (magnitude 2.0). No aftershock was expected from those quakes, Phivolcs said. Meanwhile, two more predawn quakes were recorded Sunday in Luzon and Mindanao. A quake measuring magnitude 2.5 was recorded at 4:30 a.m., with the epicenter some 21 km southwest of Batangas City. It was tectonic in origin. Another predawn quake was recorded at 4:41 a.m. and measured at magnitude 2.7. It was tectonic and its epicenter was traced to 59 km northeast of Mati, Davao Oriental. No aftershock was expected from all three quakes, Phivolcs said. - KBK, GMANews.TV