MANILA, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo wants a steady supply of rice to the public as the country continues to experience bad weather going into the Christmas holidays.

In an informal interaction with barangay (village) officials in Isla Puting Bato in Tondo, Manila Monday, Arroyo instructed the Department of Agriculture to step up the harvesting of palay so that they would not be destroyed by the typhoons that were still expected in the coming weeks.

Francisco Malabanan, Department of Agriculture rice program coordinator, assured the President that farmers have harvested their produce since last month.

Arroyo reiterated a directive to make affordable rice available especially to the poor families this Christmas. Rice sold by the National Food Authority is priced at P18.25 per kilo.

"We have to face the challenge of poverty and hunger at this time. The percentage of those who are stricken by poverty has gone down but we have to strive further and be more aggressive in ensuring that poverty is eliminated,” said Arroyo in Filipino.

As typhoon "Mina" (international codename: Mitag) slammed the extreme northern Luzon, tropical storm "Lando" (international codename: Hagibis) reentered the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Monday.

"Lando" is expected to make landfall in northwest Palawan and would pass Mindoro and Marinduque Islands, the Bondoc Peninsula, and Camarines Norte, before exiting the country Thursday, according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

Once over the Philippine Sea by Thursday, "Lando" will merge with tropical depression "Nonoy," which packs winds of 55 kilometers per hour as of Sunday, and head for Japan, PAGASA added.