MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) Typhoon “Ramil” (international codename: Lupit) has weakened further but slowed down as it continued to head towards northern Luzon, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Thursday.

Signal no. 3 remains raised over Batanes group of islands, Calayan Island, Babuyan Island, Apayao, Kalinga, and Isabela.

Signal no. 2 is up over at Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, Mt. Province, Ifugao, Benguet, La Union, NuevaVizcaya, Quirino and Aurora.

Signal no. 1 remains over Pangasinan, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Zambales, Pampanga, Bulacan, Northern Quezon, and Polillo Island.

The government expressed relief that Ramil was now expected to hit land on Saturday at the earliest, a day later than previously forecast.

"From the latest forecasts, it appears the typhoon has weakened," President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo told residents of nearby Batangas City during a provincial visit.

"We now have a longer time to prepare. Let us continue to pray that it would weaken further and spare the country," she added.

But the National Disaster Coordinating Council said in a statement that soldiers and paramedics had been deployed on the north coast with rescue boats, trucks and emergency supplies in place in case evacuations were necessary.

It said more than 100 government buildings were on standby as possible evacuation camps in the nearby Cordillera region, which suffered from landslides that killed 438 people during the onslaught of typhoon “Pepeng” (international codename: Parma) earlier this month.

Tropical storm “Ondoy” (international codename: Ketsana) meanwhile killed 464 people when it brought widespread flooding in and around Manila on September 26, and 104 others have died from flood-related disease, according to the latest government tallies.

In its latest weather bulletin, Pagasa said Ramil was seen 350 kilometers east northeast of Aparri, Cagayan packing maximum sustained winds of 160 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 195 kph.

The typhoon is forecast to move westward slowly, the state run weather bureau said.

However, the typhoon has a wide circulation and the Cagayan Valley was now being whipped with gusts of up to 185 kilometers an hour, Pagasa said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Ramil is expected to bring stormy weather to Northern Luzon and Central Luzon will have frequent rains and gusty winds with moderate to rough seas, Pagasa said.

Meanwhile, the rest of the country will experience cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms.

Residents living in low lying areas and near mountain slopes where storm signals have been raised were advised by Pagasa to take the necessary precautions against possible landslides and flashfloods.

Likewise, those living along coastal areas are warned to keep alert for possible storm surges and big waves caused by the typhoon, Pagasa said.

By Friday morning, Ramil is forecast to be 250 km east of Aparri, Cagayan nd at 180 km east of Aparri, Cagayan by Saturday morning.

Ramil is expected to be 110 km east of Aparri, Cagayan by Sunday morning, Pagasa said.