Trami, by contrast, struck some of the country’s most populous areas.
The government’s disaster agency put the death toll from Trami at 116, with 39 missing.
“Considering the current movement, a further westward shift in forecast track is not ruled out,” it said of the latest storm, which would bring it closer to the country than earlier forecast.
It expects Kong-rey to smash into Taiwan at typhoon strength early on Friday.
About 20 big storms and typhoons hit the Philippines or its surrounding waters each year, damaging homes and infrastructure and killing dozens of people.