The number of stranded passengers ballooned to 7,674 in various ports across the country as tropical storm “Kristine” continue to u leash its fury, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said on Thursday, Oct. 24.
This developed as the PPA disclosed that it will launch an investigation into the two ships that ran aground at the Batangas Port before dawn on Thursday.
Based on the PPA monitoring, most of the stranded passengers are in various ports in Bicol Region and the Eastern Leyte and Samar with 2,959 passengers and 2,613 passengers, respectively.
Hundreds more were monitored in various ports across the country as the Philippine Coast Guard prevented ships from sailing due to bad weather conditions.
PPA General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago said that all the stranded passengers were immediately attended to through distribution of free food and water.
Probe
PPA Assistant General Manager Mark Jon Palomar said they are now conducting investigation into the circumstances that led to two ships running aground at the Batangas Port—the Super Shuttle RORO 2 and the MTKR Cassandra.
On the part of the Super Shuttle RORO 2, Palomar said its anchor appeared to have been broken which led to the incident.
“It was reported and when they were looking for the captain, he was not on the vessel, which is a violation of our regulations. We are currently conducting an investigation on this and proper charges will be filed,” said Palomar.
For MTKR Cassandra, Palomar said the vessel was seized by the Bureau of Customs last week over suspicion of involvement in illegal activities.
It was tied to the dock, as a protocol during the storms coming, it was requested that they be moved.The Bureau of Customs had taken this into consideration a letter was sent to them on October 23, nonetheless, the vessel was not moved and it was completely unmanned,” said Palomar.
“So an investigation is also ongoing regarding the liabilities of individuals involved,” he added.
Damaged ports
Palomar reported that there are several ports in Bicol that were damaged as a result of the onslaught of “Kristine”—the Port of Bulan in Sorsogon, the Port of Pio Duran in Albay, and the PPA’s base port in Legazpi City.
The extent of the damage, according to Palomar, is still being assessed as of this date.
But he assured that the damage will not result in the closure of the three ports in Bicol.