ILOILO CITY — Sea travel in various parts of Western Visayas was suspended on Saturday due to the gale warning brought about by Typhoon Ompong.
Lt. Commander Ramil Palabrica, spokesperson of the Philippine Coast Guard-Western Visayas, (PCG-6), in an interview, said the cancellation of trips stranded more than 300 passengers, particularly in different port terminals in Iloilo.
As of 2:00 p.m., about 200 passengers were stranded at the Iloilo-Guimaras Terminal in Fort San Pedro, Iloilo City after trips of motorized bancas plying between Iloilo City and Guimaras were canceled.
These motor bancas were operating earlier but were only allowed 75 percent of passenger capacity.
“But because of the strong winds and occasional rains, we decided to cancel them to ensure the safety of the passengers,” Palabrica said.
“From time to time, there is zero visibility of Guimaras, so it is not really safe for the boats to travel,” he added.
In Dumangas, Iloilo, 151 passengers were stranded after the trips of four roll-on roll-off vessels plying Dumangas Port and Bacolod City and vice versa were stopped.
The cancellation also covered fast craft plying the Iloilo City-Bacolod City route. But no passenger was stranded because of the advance notice on trip cancellation sent out on Friday afternoon.
Lt. Rodolfo dela Peña, Iloilo station commander of PCG, said they already reported the stranded passengers to the operation center of the Office of Civil Defense 6 so they could provide assistance.
“We also advised them to go home because we will resume the trips tomorrow morning,” he said.
Aside from boat trips in Iloilo, all boat trips in the provinces of Aklan, Antique and Capiz are canceled, he said.
But he clarified that no passengers were stranded in the ports of the said provinces because they all went home.
Palabrica said sea travel in these areas would resume if the gale warning would be lifted and the typhoon signal in the point of destination, particularly in some parts of Luzon will also be lifted.
Meantime, Palabrica said that search and rescue operation is still ongoing for a missing fisherman in Carles,Iloilo.
Carlos Malaga, 65, of Asluman village Carles, Iloilo disappeared on Friday after he went fishing around 2:15 p.m. (Cindy Ferrer/PNA)
