''Inday'' slightly weakened from a super typhoon to a typhoon as it entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility Thursday morning but Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2 is still up in three areas in Northern Luzon.

These areas include Batanes, the eastern portion of Babuyan Islands (Babuyan, Didicas, Camiguin ) and the north easternmost portion of mainland Cagayan (Santa Ana).

With the southwest monsoon enhanced by a weakened ''Inday'', Metro Manila and other provinces in West Visayas, Mimaropa, Calabarzon, Central Luzon and the Ilocos Region will experience rains of between 50 to 100 millimeters from Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon.

Moderate rainfall, between 100 millimeters to 200 millimeters, is forecast over Occidental Mindoro and Antique on Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon. Zambales, Bataan and Occidental Mindoro will feel the same volume on Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 was also raised over the "rest of Cagayan including the rest of Babuyan Islands, Isabela, the northeastern portion of Quirino (Maddela), Apayao, the northern portion of Abra (Tineg, Lagayan, Danglas, San Juan, Lagangilang, Licuan-Baay, Malibcong, Lacub, Daguioman, Dolores, La Paz), Kalinga, the eastern portion of Mountain Province (Natonin, Paracelis), the eastern portion of Ifugao (Aguinaldo, Alfonso Lista), Ilocos Norte, the northern portion of Aurora (Dilasag, Casiguran), and the northern and central portions of Catanduanes (Pandan, Caramoran, Bagamanoc, Panganiban, Viga, Gigmoto, Baras, San Miguel)."

As of Thursday noon, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that 23 ports in Southern Tagalog were affected while 507 passengers, truck drivers, cargo helpers and 147 rolling cargoes were stranded due to the typhoon.

It also noted that 81 vessels and 64 motorbancas were taking shelter in the affected ports due to ''Inday''.

''Inday'' with maximum sustained winds of 165 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 205 kph was last spotted at 780 km east of Aparri, Cagayan while moving west northwestward at the speed of 20kph, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said in its Thursday afternoon bulletin.

The state weather bureau said ''Inday'' is expected "to generally move northwestward while remaining over the Philippine Sea and may pass closest to extreme Northern Luzon between Friday evening and Saturday morning.

Afterwards, it will move toward the southern islands of Japan and may make landfall or pass close over the northern coast of Taiwan".

"It will then exit the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) by Saturday morning or afternoon and make landfall over the eastern coast of mainland China by Saturday evening or Sunday early morning," it stated.

"'Inday' is forecast to remain as a typhoon until it exits the PAR. It will then weaken into a severe tropical storm after moving further inland over mainland China," Pagasa added. Robina Asido/PHS