A typhoon is weakening as it cuts across the Philippines with strong winds felling trees and powerlines but there are no official reports of casualties.

Typhoon Nock-Ten, locally known as Nina, weakened to 150km/h on Monday as it headed west towards provinces south of the capital Manila.

A storm alert was in place and land, sea and air transport were all suspended as authorities told the public to take precautions and prepare for strong wind and heavy rain.

Nina, was packing maximum sustained winds of 185km/h and gusts of up to 255km/h when it made landfall on Sunday night in Catanduanes province.

Tens of thousands of people in the predominantly Christian country spent Christmas in shelters after authorities moved them to safety on higher ground.

Emergency workers were mobilised to clear roads of debris, like fallen trees and power lines in the coconut-growing region, with some central areas plunged into darkness.

The typhoon was due to make a fifth landfall in Batangas on Monday then move towards Manila after its arrival in Catanduanes.

Jalad, head of the national disaster risk reduction management council, said there were no reports of deaths or missing people but communications were disrupted.

"We expect to get reports from the field as soon as power and telephone services are restored," Jalad said.

The Philippines is one of the world's worst-affected countries when it comes to typhoons, with an average of 20 a year passing or hitting the archipelago of more than 7,000 islands.