By LESLIE ANN G. AQUINO
Parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila, were jolted yesterday by an earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter Scale but no casualties were reported.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said areas in the metropolis which felt the temblor at intensity 2 were Quezon City, Pasay City, and Makati City.
Residents of Tagaytay City and Clark, Pampanga also felt the quake at the same intensity.
But the highest intensity registered was in Nasugbu, Batangas, which felt the temblor at intensity 4. Over Puerto Galera, it was at intensity 3.
Other areas which reportedly felt the quake, were Samal, Bataan; Cavite; Coron, Palawan; and Malolos City, Bulacan.
An earthquake with this magnitude is categorized as one of moderate strength with the possibility of causing small local damage near its center, but Phivolcs said that they do not expect it to cause any damage to properties.
Seismologists, however, are not discounting the possibility of the quake having aftershocks.
Yesterday’s quake occurred just before 5 a.m.
The epicenter of the earthquake was 54 kilometers northwest of Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro.
