At least two people have been killed in houses that were destroyed in the province of Davao Oriental, the civil defense reports.
The earthquake is preliminarily estimated to have a magnitude of 7.6.
Filipino authorities initially issued a tsunami warning but it was lifted a few hours later.
The population in the coastal area was urged to "immediately evacuate to higher areas or move further inland”.
The epicenter of the earthquake is estimated to be about 62 kilometers off the city of Manay in the Davao region.
