Manila  - The Philippine weather bureau on Thursday cautioned the public against being complacent after a powerful typhoon threatening the country slowed down and weakened.

Typhoon Lupit hovered over the north-eastern coast of the Philippines overnight, with maximum winds of 160 kilometres per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 195 kph.

Nathaniel Cruz, chief weather forecaster, said Lupit's expected landfall "has been delayed" because two high-pressure areas around the cyclone were slowing it down.

"Based on the latest track, Lupit could make landfall on Monday instead of today or Friday," he said. "But northern provinces will continue to experience rains, cloudiness and strong winds."

Cruz added that since the typhoon was moving very slowly, the affected areas "would be soaked" and "should be on guard against storm surges."

Lupit would hit as the Philippines struggled to recover from back-to-back storms that killed 864 people and destroyed more than 616 million dollars' worth of infrastructure and crops.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said Lupit's slowdown should give authorities more time to prepare for the typhoon.

"This gives us a longer time to prepare and let us pray that the typhoon would further weaken and spare us," she said in a speech.

"Let us pray for everyone who has lost hope because of the calamities still wreaking havoc on parts of our islands," she added.

The weather bureau has placed 25 provinces under storm warning signals due to Lupit.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council said more than 37,000 disaster relief response and rescue personnel from various government agencies were already on standby in the threatened areas.

Food supplies and medicines have also been dispatched to the northern Philippines. (dpa)