Weather: Sunny June 12 in Luzon

Tropical storm "Dodong" left Philippine territory before noon on Friday and state weather forecasters predicted mostly sunny weather for Independence Day on Sunday. Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) forecaster Jori Loiz said "Dodong" was 330 kilometers northwest of Laoag (Ilocos Norte) as of 10:00 a.m. "Nakalabas na siya ng Philippine area of responsibility (pero) medyo pinalakas kaunti ang southwest monsoon natin," Loiz said in an interview on dzBB radio. Loiz said several areas in the western parts of Luzon and Visayas can expect rains, including Cavite, Batangas, Panay Island, Mindoro, and Metro Manila. As of 10:00 a.m., PAGASA said "Dodong" packed maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kph. PAGASA's 11:00 a.m. advisory showed "Dodong" was moving north-northwest at 25 kph and is expected to be 540 km northwest of Basco, Batanes Saturday morning. "('Dodong') is expected to enhance the Southwest monsoon and will bring rains over the western section of Northern and Central Luzon," it said. PAGASA also said strong to gale force wind is expected to affect the western seaboard of Luzon. It advised fishermen and small boats not to venture out to sea, and larger vessels to be on alert against big waves. Mostly good weather on Sunday Meanwhile, Loiz said Filipinos in Metro Manila can expect mostly good weather on Sunday, when the nation marks its 113th Independence Day. But he said there may be some isolated rainshowers and thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. "Maganda ang panahon ng ating Sunday (pero) inaasahan natin lagi ang ulan sa hapon at gabi, yan ay isolated lang," he said. Meanwhile, Loiz said they are monitoring a cloud formation off Mindanao which may become a low-pressure area. However, he said it is still too early to tell if it will actually form into an LPA and eventually intensify into a cyclone. "Hindi pa namin naano kung mapupunta ito sa LPA," he said. - VVP, GMA News