12th Phl cyclone develops near Samar

MANILA, Philippines - A low pressure area (LPA) near the Visayas has intensified into a tropical depression, the state weather bureau said Friday.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) named the 12th cyclone as "Labuyo."

PAGASA said the cyclone was still out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). As of 4 a.m., Labuyo's center was 1,150 kilometers east of Catarman, Northern Samar, packing maximum sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour.

The cyclone was moving west northwest at a speed of 9 kilometers per hour.

The cyclone is forecast enter the PAR by the afternoon and move closer to Catarman by Saturday. It was also forecast to hover near Legaspi City by Sunday morning and move close to Daet, Camarines Sur by Monday morning.

PAGASA said the cyclone was still "too far to directly affect any part of the country."

Meanwhile, a low pressure area in the vicinity of Cuyo, Palawan is also being monitored by PAGASA.

The LPA embedded along the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) will bring rains over parts of Southern Luzon, Visayas and Northern Mindanao, the weather bureau said.