Manila: The southwest monsoon or 'habagat' will continue to drench parts of Luzon, the weather bureau said Saturday. In its 4 a.m. bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) confirmed that the southwest monsoon will bring occasional rains over the Ilocos Region, Abra, Benguet, Zambales, and Bataan. According to Philippines News Agency, the 'habagat' is also expected to cause scattered rains and thunderstorms over Metro Manila, Cagayan Valley, the rest of the Cordillera region, the rest of Central Luzon, Rizal, Cavite, Batangas, and Occidental Mindoro. Meanwhile, the rest of the country will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms due to localized thunderstorms. Furthermore, Tropical Depression Ester continues to maintain its strength as it moves over the sea east of Taiwan. As of 3 a.m., the center of Ester was located 350 km north-northeast of Itbayat, Batanes, packing maximum sustained winds of 45 kph nea r the center, with gustiness of up to 55 kph, and moving east-northeastward at 15 kph. Moderate to strong winds and moderate to rough seas will prevail over Northern Luzon and the western section of Central Luzon, while the rest of the archipelago will have light to moderate winds and slight to moderate seas.