Typhoon Cimaron (Paeng)

MANILA, Philippines — Typhoon Cimaron, One of the strongest typhoons to hit the storm-prone Philippines in years battered the mountainous north late Sunday, and the country's president urged people to prepare for the worst.

"Let us all pray,"President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said in a message on nationwide radio as she ordered schools and government offices closed in the affected area and temporarily banned bus trips there.

Typhoon Cimaron lashed Isabela province with sustained winds of 121 mph and gusts of up to 143 mph, the Philippine weather bureau said. Hours earlier, the region was placed under the highest of a four-step warning system to advise residents to abandon vulnerable coasts and mountains.

"The wind is really blowing strong. Trees are swaying and I can hear tin roof sheets banging about. Large areas are without light. We're expecting the worst,"Armand Araneta, a provincial Office of Civil Defense officer, told The Associated Press by phone from Isabela.

The storm was expected to disrupt the national All Saints'Day holiday, on Wednesday, when millions travel to cemeteries to remember their dead, some leaving days in advance for outlying provinces. Officials warned people to cancel trips to threatened areas.

We know in our culture that we should visit our dead, but this is not an ordinary typhoon, it's a super typhoon,"a government official, Graciano Yumul, warned."People could figure in many accidents if they don't listen."

Arroyo, who is visiting China, urged authorities and residents in the four northern provinces to stay home during the 16th typhoon to hit the country this year.

"I appeal to you not to venture out,"Arroyo said in her radio message.

The storm was expected to weaken over land, but still should maintain typhoon strength as it emerges into the South China Sea, forecasters said.

Cimaron _ the Philippine word for wild ox _ is potentially devastating to a region prone to deadly mudslides. Forecasters said the last time a typhoon this strong struck the Philippines was in December 2004, although in that case, the storm was deflected by a mountain range and casualties were minimal.

Last month, Typhoon Xangsane left 230 people dead and missing in Manila and neighboring provinces.

About 20 typhoon and tropical storms lash the country each year.