This is the spectacular moment a 'ball of fire' believed to be from a Chinese rocket streaked across the night sky in the Philippines.

CCTV footage shows the unidentified object flashing strobe-like in a neighbourhood in Palawan province on January 7 evening.

Locals reported seeing the falling object that 'looked like a meteor' before a loud explosion and powerful tremors rocked the towns of Bataraza and Rizal.

Local authorities said they are still gathering information about the falling object.

The Philippine Space Agency and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines issued a notice late December urging residents in Palawan province to take precautionary measures in light of China's launching of the Long March 3B rocket.

The advisory said unburned debris was expected to fall in a zone around 137 kilometres from Ayungin Shoal, which is some 200 kilometres west of Palawan.