Samar and Masbate islands were battered by peak winds of 85 kilometersmiles) an hour that unleashed heavy rain on the region, the civil defense office said.

Four people from the eastern Bicol region were reported electrocuted as strong winds snapped electricity cables, while at least one other was injured, disaster relief officials said.

Strong winds blacked out Samar, Masbate and the nearby island of Marinduque, with a combined population of nearly four million people, they said.

Rough seas kept domestic shipping bottled up at ports in the area, stranding 1,772 passengers bound for the central islands, some of whom spent the night at warehouses in the port of Tabaco.

A total of 22 domestic flights to and from the central Philippine provinces were cancelled, airport officials said. International flights however were not affected.

Civil defense officials said there was "minimal" damage to crops and houses made of light materials.

Classes in primary schools in Manila and nearby provinces were also called off due to heavy rains.

Weather forecasters said Nepartak was streaking due west at 22 kilometers (13.6 miles) an hour and the eye was expected to funnel through the gap between Panay and Romblon islands later Friday en route to the South China Sea.

About 19 storms and typhoons hit the Philippines every year, killing an average of 500 people annually since 1970, official records show.

Nepartak arrived from the Pacific Ocean about a month after the traditional end of the typhoon season in the Philippines.

TERRA.WIRE