A TYPHOON was spotted outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) and was forecast to enter the country on Monday, the state-run weather bureau said on Friday.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), 'Maria' (international name) was 1,965 kilometers (km) east of Southern Luzon as of 9 a.m., packing strong winds of up to 125 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 155 kph.