LEGAZPI CITY — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) allowed some 1,370 passengers stranded in major ports in Bicol to sail on Saturday after the weather bureau lifted the storm signal in the region.
Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Division chief Jessar Adornado said about 312 rolling cargoes that took shelter were stranded in various ports in Bicol, including those in Tabaco City in Albay province, Pasacao in Camarines Sur province, Mercedes in Camarines Norte province, and Pilar and Matnog in Sorsogon province.
Adornado, in a phone interview, said the latest report from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) lifted the storm signal in all provinces of Bicol.
Meanwhile, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) regional spokesperson Lucy Castaneda, in a separate phone interview, said all national roads in Bicol are now passable.
“Minor landslides reported in Catanduanes and Sorsogon were immediately cleared, as well as fallen trees, branches and debris along some sections of national roads in the region,” she said.
In Camarines Sur’s 2nd District, a fallen tree and electric posts that leaned along Daan Maharlika in Barangay Concepcion Pequeña, Naga City, which blocked the highway during the onslaught of Typhoon Ompong, have already been cleared and removed by the DPWH response team, with assistance from other emergency teams of the province, the Army, police, Bureau of Fire Protection, and barangay tanods (village watchmen).
Maintenance crews continue to undertake clearing operations.
As of posting, Albay continued to experience cloudy skies with moderate to occasionally heavy rains. (Connie Calipay/PNA)
