Super Typhoon Ragasa lashed a beachfront resort in the Philippines early this morning, bringing powerful winds and torrential rain.

Footage shows torrential downpours sweeping through the area as trees swayed in Nasugbu, Batangas.

Authorities said thousands of residents were evacuated as a precaution as the typhoon-prone country braces for the full impact of Ragasa.

The freak weather, packing wind gusts of up to 230km/h (143mph), is expected to make landfall on northern islands on Monday, before moving west towards southern China.

Ragasa is projected to hit the remote Batanes or Babuyan islands - located around 740km south of Taiwan - where around 300 people have already been evacuated.

Known locally as Nando, Ragasa arrives as the Philippines continues to grapple with weeks of severe flooding brought on by an unusually intense monsoon season.

The region's low-lying geography, inadequate drainage systems, and rapid urbanisation make it especially vulnerable to flooding.

Limited infrastructure often struggles to handle the heavy rainfall, resulting in widespread flash floods.

President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr - himself the son of a dictator who stole some 10 billion USD from the country - has ordered a full audit of the DPWH flood control initiatives, along with lifestyle checks on officials and public disclosure of projects.

The directive came after reports of corruption, ghost projects, and disproportionate contract awards linked to flood control programmes since 2022.

Local media reported that more than 6,000 flood control projects worth 350 billion PHP (approximately 4.9 billion GBP) lacked essential details, raising concerns over transparency in government infrastructure spending.

At least 15 contractors are now under investigation after cornering a combined 545 billion PHP (approximately 7.63 billion GBP) program budget.

Public outrage has grown as residents criticised the families of those contractors, exposing their lavish lifestyles and condemning the misuse of public funds.

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets across the country on Sunday to protest corruption in government, which many blame for the nation's lack of effective flood protection infrastructure.