The Philippines was again slammed bya strong typhoon from Thursday night till Friday morning, with at least 9 people killed and tens of thousands displaced in eastern and northern Luzon where Typhoon "Yoyong" rampaged through.

Most of those killed by "Yoyong" were in Metro Manila and its surrounding areas which were pounded by heavy wind and rain pours Thursday night.

Philippine disaster officials said they are still assessing thedamage down by "Yoyong" (international codename Nanmadol) which began hitting eastern Luzon Thursday night and swept away from northern Luzon Friday morning toward the South China Sea and Taiwan of China with weakened speed.

Casualties were relatively low this time as compared with that brought about by tropical depression "Winnie" Monday night, because people were better prepared this time, said officials.

According to latest estimates, some 1,000 people were killed inthe flooding and landslide caused by "Winnie", which hit the Quezon province in Luzon early this week, days after another typhoon struck the same area.

An unnamed military official, quoted by the ABS-CBN news network, said 479 people were dead and 560 missing in the three towns in Quezon province east of Manila devastated by torrent of logs and mud on Monday. Seven regions of the province have been declared to be in a state of calamity.

In a televised meeting with officials of the National Disaster Coordinating Council Friday morning, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said that the nation was severely tested in devastation. She appealed to the whole nation to show solidarity and help the people in the affected areas.

Many private companies and foreign governments are sending in donations to the disaster-struck people, estimated at more than one million.

Thousands of people in Quezon province are still marooned by flood and are running out of water and food, while the army is using 15 helicopters to send food and other supplies as many roadshave been destroyed by flood.

All government hospitals have been put on "code white" alert inanticipation of diseases or infections, said the Department of Health Friday.

Secretary of Health Manuel Dayrit said officials and doctors are closely following evacuation centers in the areas hit by the calamity to prevent a disease outbreak, especially those of communicable diseases.

Illegal logging has been blamed for exacerbating the disaster and the government has ordered a clampdown on illegal logging in Luzon.

President Arroyo Thursday appointed a retired army general, whowas also a former chief of the leftist New People's Army rebels, to be the "principal overseer" of all reforestation programs and the fight against illegal logging.

Arroyo has accused the New People's Army of carrying out rampant illegal logging to finance their subversive activities.

Source: Xinhua