The storm smashed into Dumaguete City, on Negros Island at 9pm local time this evening (1pm GMT) and is currently moving out over the Sulu Sea.
Basyang is forecast to make landfall for a third time on the holiday hotspot of Palawan tomorrow (Wednesday, February 14) evening.
Emergency services have already evacuated hundreds of people out of the storm’s path.
Basyang was downgraded from a tropical storm to a tropical depression after its first landfall in Cortes, Surigao del Sur at at 9.15am local time (1.15am GMT) today.
The depression’s heavy rains triggered landslides in the mountains around the mining town of Carrascal, also in the Surigao del Sur province.
Police said at least four people are known to have been killed in the slides, including a mother and her two children.
A third child was killed in a separate mudslide.
Emergency services have yet to assess the full impact of the damage as blocked roads have prevented vehicles from accessing some of the worst-hit areas.
Residents of five of the Philippines’ major islands are under a ‘signal one’ warning tonight and have been told to watch out for flash floods and landslides.
The signal one is the lowest level of alert, but the storm is still producing high winds of nearly 40mph (60 km/h).
Palawan is a popular tourist destination in the Philippines and is home to the idyllic region of El Nido, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year with its stunning seas and colourful coral reefs.
El Nido sits at the very north of Palawan, and Basyang is currently expected to make landfall on the south of the island.
However tourists may experience severe disruption to their trips, as the port town of Puerto Princesa, which serves as a gateway to Palawan, is likely to narrowly avoid being under the path of the storm.
Cancellations to ferry services have already resulted in more than 4,500 passengers being forced to spend the night in port terminals across the country, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.
Volunteers from the Philippine Red Cross have rushed to areas impacted by the storm to hand out supplies and offer support to families whose homes have been destroyed.
A spokesman for the charity said: “Our staff and volunteers from different chapters affected by Basyang are now on full alert as the storm continues to threaten the country.”