CEBU CITY – With several trips canceled, hundreds of passengers stranded, and classes suspended, several areas in Cebu felt the brunt of severe tropical storm “Kristine” on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
LONG lines of passengers are seen in ticketing offices in Pier 1 in Cebu City after sea trips were canceled due to severe tropical storm ‘Kristine.’ (Calvin Cordova)
Signal No. 1 was hoisted over Cebu, prompting local government units to suspend classes on all levels.
A fatality was recorded in Camotes Island after the body of a man who had gone missing after the motor banca that he and his two companions were riding capsized was found past 5 a.m. on Wednesday.
The fatality was identified as Rodolfo Villar, a native of Ormoc City.
Villar and his two companions, Jesse Añasco and Junex Lanogan, sailed from Ormoc to Camotes on Tuesday, Oct. 23, when they encountered big waves that caused the motor banca to capsize.
Añasco and Lanogan were rescued when the incident was reported to the Coast Guard in Pilar town, Camotes.
Coast Guard-Pilar sought assistance from its counterpart in Ormoc but Villar was not immediately found.
In Cebu City, Vice Mayor Dondon Hontiveros issued an Executive Order (EO) suspending all classes due to the inclement weather.
Hontiveros, who is the city’s acting mayor while Mayor Raymond Garcia is on an official business trip, issued a separate EO on Wednesday announcing that classes will remain suspended on Thursday, Oct. 24.
The EO encouraged schools to adopt alternative modes of instruction such as online learning or modular materials to maintain educational continuity during the suspension.
Several local government units (LGUs) across Cebu, including the chartered cities of Mandaue, Bogo, Carcar, Danao, Naga, Talisay, and Toledo, also suspended classes.
According to Coast Guard-Central Visayas, 68 vessels and 221 rolling cargoes were stranded on Wednesday. A total of 496 passengers were also stranded after sea trips were cancelled.