MANILA, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- A 5.9-magnitude  earthquake rattled Surigao del Norte province in the southern Philippines on Friday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

The institute said the strong quake, which jolted at 7:55 p.m. local time (1155 GMT), hit 28 km southeast of General Luna, a town in Surigao del Norte, at a depth of 19 km.

The shallow tremor was felt strongly in Surigao City and in other cities in northern Mindanao and central Philippines, including Gingoog City in Misamis Oriental province, Cagayan de Oro City in Northern Mindanao, Borongan City in Eastern Samar province, Cebu City, Catbalogan City in Samar province, Kidapawan City in Cotabato province, Lapu-Lapu City in the Central Visayas region and Argao City in Cebu province.

After the initial earthquake, the institute has recorded a total of 10 more aftershocks, including a magnitude 4.7 earthquake that struck at 8:25 p.m. local time.

The institute said the tremor, which was tectonic in origin, is not expected to cause any damage.