Nov. 3 (Bloomberg) -- A tropical depression heading for central Luzon in the Philippines is weakening and may dissipate before it reaches the country, the local weather bureau said.

The depression, named “Tino” by the Philippine weather bureau, was 150 kilometers (93 miles) east-northeast of Casiguran, Quezon province, at 2 a.m. local time, with winds of 55 kilometers per hour near the center. It’s being countered by cold winds from the northeast monsoon, bureau Director Nathaniel Cruz said in a phone interview from Manila today.

Casiguran is close to where Typhoon Mirinae made landfall on Oct. 31, leaving 19 people dead, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council. Mirinae’s winds felled trees and power lines and destroyed lightly constructed homes, including settlements housing survivors of previous storms.

Mirinae struck Vietnam yesterday where it killed at least two people as it weakened to a tropical depression after crossing the southern coast.

Tropical Storm Ketsana and Typhoon Parma hit Luzon in late September and early October, killing 929 people and destroying 38 billion pesos ($797 million) of crops and infrastructure. A total of 86,000 people remain in evacuation centers.

The Philippines, the world’s biggest importer of rice, will hold a tender tomorrow to buy 250,000 tons of rice after about 1 million tons was lost as a result of Ketsana and Parma.

To contact the reporter on this story: Francisco Alcuaz Jr. in Manila at falcuaz@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 2, 2009 22:10 EST