MANILA - Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) Director Renato Solidum on Saturday said the series of earthquakes that hit Batangas was part of the normal movement of a fault line in the area.

In an interview on DZMM, Solidum said the quakes, three recorded within half an hour in Batangas, may be considered an earthquake swarm.

He said there was "nothing unusual" with such phenomenon, and was expected of a gradually moving fault line.

"Hindi po unusual 'yun. Pwede pong magkaroon ng ganyang earthquake swarms na mga ganyang lindol na posibleng magkakalapit ang magnitude pero hindi talaga major earthquake," he said.

"Normal po 'yan sa mga fault na kumikilos paunti-unti. Kasi kung biglaang kumikilos 'yung mga fault, malakihan po kaagad 'yung earthquake tapos 'yung mga sumusunod, maliliit," Solidum added.

Solidum advised residents who evacuated due to the quake to thoroughly inspect their houses for any damage before settling back in.

He also assured the public that the latest earthquake was too weak to trigger a tsunami.

Earthquakes jolted Mabini town in Batangas Saturday afternoon a minute apart, first a magnitude 5.7 at 3:08 p.m., followed by a magnitude 5.9 a minute later.

A third quake hit Taysan town in Batangas 20 minutes later at magnitude 5.0.

The quake's origin is close to the island town of Tingloy, where a 5.5-magnitude quake hit just before 9 p.m. Tuesday. It generated multiple aftershocks.

• Over 700 aftershocks recorded after Batangas quake