Durian's eye is expected to hit the provinces of Batangas and Quezon and the island of Mindoro just south of Manila early Friday.

"We should not be complacent in Metro Manila. The eye of the storm will not hit Manila, but definitely, we will feel the effects of he typhoon," weather bureau chief Nathaniel Cruz said.

"There is a big possibility it may maintain its strength or intensify as it moves westward," before deteriorating as it blows out into the South China Sea, he said.

Power lines were brought down causing widespread blackouts throughout the eastern Bicol region including the provincial capital Legaspi City, the civil defense office said.

The strong winds and rains toppled trees and electrical posts and blew tin sheets off roofs, sending debris flying and forcing people off the streets.

Ferry services were cancelled in Catanduanes and other provinces and small vessels were barred from sailing, stranding about 3,000 passengers, the coast guard warned.

Local airline flights to the affected region were also cancelled.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, the civil defense office said.

President Gloria Arroyo assured the public that the authorities were prepared "to ensure timely and well-coordinated response in areas that could be affected," by the storm.

Arroyo also ordered military and police officials along with the secretaries of social welfare and health to make sure personnel would be in place "in vulnerable communities for possible evacuation and relief operations."

In Manila, all schools were closed and emergency services put on alert.

The typhoon is moving west at 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) per hour, packing gusts of 225 kilometers (140 miles) per hour, the government weather station said.

The highest level of a four-step alert was raised over Catanduanes and other provinces in the eastern Bicol region while the third-level alert was raised in the nearby provinces of Sorsogon, Quezon and surrounding islands.

The second level storm alert is in force over the capital of Metropolitan Manila and surrounding provinces.

In the Bicol region, where strong rains and winds were causing floods, schools have been readied to serve as evacuation centers while heavy equipment is in place to clear up roads in the event of landslides, officials said.

Residents of low-lying areas were warned to be on alert for flash floods while those living on mountainsides were told to be on the lookout for landslides, the weather station said.

The Philippines is still recovering from typhoon Cimaron, the strongest cyclone to hit the country in more than 10 years, which left 38 people dead or missing late last month.

Manila was directly hit by typhoon Xangsane in September, the first in more than a decade, causing widespread damage and leaving wide parts of the city without electricity for days.

By the time Xangsane left the Philippines it left more than 200 people dead and a damages bill running into the millions of dollars.

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