ILOILO CITY — Boat trips from Iloilo to Guimaras and vice versa, may be temporarily suspended anytime today due to heavy rains brought by severe tropical storm “Odette.”
In an interview Saturday, Lieutenant Commander Ramil Palabrica of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Iloilo said that boat trips were temporarily suspended three times this morning due to zero visibility of the island province of Guimaras.
The trip was first temporarily suspended at 9:07a.m, resumed at 9:17 a.m; 9:40 a.m, resumed at 9:45 a.m; and 10:00 a.m, resumed at 10:15 a.m.
“Anytime the rain will pour heavily and there will be zero visibility of the island of Guimaras, expect that we will again automatically cancel the boat trips,” he said.
Boat operators are currently still carrying 100 percent of the passenger boat capacity but Palabrica said that they they would reduce the boat capacity to 75 percent this evening to ensure the safety of passengers.
Meanwhile, the operations of fastcraft boats from Iloilo to Bacolod and vice versa continues.
In a latest advisory from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), light to moderate rains with occasional heavy rains and moderate to occassionally strong winds affecting Visayas and Mindanao will be experienced today.
While there are no reported incidents of capsized boats here, small fishermen are advised not to venture into fishing for their safety.
Palabrica reminded the passengers to secure safety when traveling and continue to monitor the weather updates.
Boat operators are strictly advised to comply with safety requirements, especially the provision of life jackets to all passengers and check the engines of their boat before departing.
Palabrica assured that coast guard personnel are on standby to respond to any untoward incidents. (Cindy Ferrer/PNA)
