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Manila: Strong winds and heavy rains disrupted activity in the Philippines on Saturday as intermittent power disruptions plagued the northern and northwestern portions of the country.
By 3.30pm, the weather bureau declared five provinces under the highest state of alert, Signal No 3, as tropical storm Halong (local codename: Cosme) dumped heavy rains and 130km/h winds.
Halong is not expected to make landfall before evening but the winds churned up by the typhoon resulted in intermittent power outages that disrupted commercial activity and normal life.
Among the areas where typhoon alert was declared were Zambales, Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte.
"We are asking everyone living in the areas where the typhoon will hit to exercise precautions especially in the coastal areas," Dr Anthony Golez, spokesman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), said on government-run dzRB radio. Halong will be the first major disturbance to hit the Philippines, a country which is visited by at least 24 typhoons annually. Every year dozens of Filipinos lose their lives to natural disasters while millions of pesos worth of property destroyed.
"We are aiming for zero casualties," Golez said. According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) "Cosme" was moving northeast at 19km/h.
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