'Bebeng' continues to move away from RP

Less than a week after entering Philippine territory, typhoon "Bebeng" moved away from the country even as it continued to intensify. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (Pag-asa) said that as of 10 a.m. Thursday, "Bebeng" (international name: Man-Yi) was 670 kilometers east of Basco, Batanes. It packed maximum sustained winds of 160 kilometers per hour and gustiness of 195 kph and was moving northwest at 22 kph, towards the southern part of Japan. Pag-asa said "Bebeng" is expected to be 700 km northeast of Basco, Batanes or in the vicinity of Okinawa, Southern Japan by Friday morning. Despite this, however, Pag-asa said "Bebeng" will continue to induce the southwest monsoon that will bring rains over the country, particularly over the western sections of Southern Luzon and Visayas. It reiterated its warning to residents in low-lying areas and near mountain slopes to seek safer ground against possible occurrence of flash floods and landslides. -GMANews.TV