The weather bureau has lifted storm signal warnings over Northern Cagayan, Apayao, and Ilocos Norte as Typhoon "Kiko" (International name: Morakot) began moving away from the country early Saturday morning.

But the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) maintained a Public Warning Storm Signal No. 1 over Batanes, Babuyan, and Calayan Groups of Islands even after the typhoon slightly weakened on Friday evening.

In its severe weather bulletin posted at 5 a.m. Saturday, PAGASA said the typhoon maintained maximum winds of 130 kph near its center and gustiness of 160 kph winds while decelerating its northwest movement at 9 kph.

The meteorological agency explained that the presence of Typhoon "Kiko" over Northern Taiwan or about 430 kms north of Basco, Batanes as of 11 a.m. yesterday morning will continue to enhance the surge of the southwest monsoon.

PAGASA director Nathaniel Cruz added that enhanced monsoon was expected to affect the seaboards of Luzon and Visayas, warning residents in low-lying areas and near mountain slopes against continuing incidents of flashfloods and landslides.

Cruz said the monsoon will continue to bring stormy weather over extreme Northern Luzon including Batanes, Babuyan, and Calayan Groups of Islands as well as Ilocos Norte, Kalinga, Apayao, and Cagayan.

The PAGASA official added occasional rains and gusty winds will continue to prevail over Tarlac, Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas, and Laguna until Sunday morning.

He said the rest of Luzon as well as Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental will continue to have cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms.

Meanwhile, PAGASA advised fishing boats and other small seacraft not to venture out into the sea as the southwest monsoon enhanced by Typhoon "Kiko" will affect the western and eastern seaboards of both Luzon and Visayas.

PAGASA said the western seaboard of Luzon will experience occasional rains while the eastern coast of Luzon and western seaboard of Visayas will have cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms, which will become isolated along the seaboards of Central and Eastern Visayas.