Hundreds stranded in Cebu ports as TS Paeng forced cancellation of sea trips
CEBU CITY -- Hundreds of passengers who are heading for their respective provinces for the observance of the ‘Kalag-Kalag (Undas)’e on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2, started arriving in ports and bus terminals here.
But due to Tropical Storm Paeng which is affecting Eastern Visayas, hundreds of the travelers found themselves stranded due to suspension of sea trips.
It was Friday afternoon, Oct. 28, when the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)-Cebu Station suspended all trips to and from Cebu after the province was among the areas in the Visayas placed under storm signal no. 1.
As of 11 a.m. Friday, PCG-Cebu Station Commander Mark Larsen Mariano said at least 107 passengers mostly bound for Bohol and Leyte were stranded at Pier 1 in Cebu City.
In the entire Central Visayas Region, 497 people were stranded in the various ports because of the cancellation of sea trips, data from PCG-Cebu Station showed.
Due to the long weekend, long lines of passengers were still seen in ticketing offices in the pier despite the cancellation of sea trips.
The PCG-Cebu Station trips will resume once the weather condition improves.
The Cebu Port Authority is expecting 300,000 passengers to flock in all ports in Cebu in the next three days.
The Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) was also full with passengers on Friday morning.
CSBT manager Carmen Quijano said an estimated 50,000 passengers are expected to flock at the terminal in the next three days.
Some 50,000 passengers are also expected to troop to the Cebu North Bus Terminal to travel to their respective provinces and cities in northern Cebu.
Quijano assured there are enough buses and trips to accommodate the influx of passengers.
Brig. Gen. Roderick Alba, chief of the Police Regional Office-Central Visayas, led the inspection of piers and bus terminals on Friday.
Alba revealed that he has ordered the activation of the search and rescue teams in preparation for any incident that may occur due to the tropical storm.
“I ordered all police station commanders to be on alert and help local government units in their disaster response,” Alba said.