The Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the quake struck in the Sulu Sea 93 kilometres south-west of Dumaguete City, one of the major cities on Negros.


Authorities were confident the quake caused no damage, according to Nazario Caro, a duty officer of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on the neighbouring island of Panay.


"We did not issue any tsunami alert," Mr Caro told AFP by telephone.


"We have checked the nearby areas and we did not get any reports of damage or casualties."


The Philippines sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire - a belt around the Pacific Ocean dotted by active volcanoes and tectonic trenches, where eruptions and earthquakes take place frequently.

6.2 quake hits near Philippines

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Philippines this morning but caused no damage, authorities said.