Almost 600 stranded in Bicol ports as LGUs brace for ‘Bising’

LEGAZPI CITY — At least 574 passengers, 131 trucks, 65 vehicles, two buses, and seven sea vessels were stranded in the ports of Matnog town in Sorsogon and Tabaco City in Albay Saturday morning, after the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) barred vessels from venturing out to sea following the raising of Typhoon Signal Number 1 by the state weather bureau over several coastal towns in the eastern flank of Sorsogon, Albay and Camarines Sur due to Typhoon Bising (international name: Surigae).

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) report said most of the stranded passengers were in the port of Matnog with 552 travelers bound for the Visayas, while the 22 passengers marooned at the port in Tabaco City were bound for the island province of Catanduanes.

Gremil Alexis Naz, OCD Bicol spokesperson, said as a precautionary measure on the imminent threat of Bising, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in Bicol has temporarily canceled trips of provincial buses, private cars, and truck traversing the region bound to Visayas and Mindanao.

Naz said the suspension of trips was to prevent the long queue of trucks, buses, and cars parked along highways leading to various major ports in Bicol.

The OCD has also placed the region under “blue alert” status, directing all local disaster officials to closely monitor weather updates and activate their local councils.

In Albay, Gov. Al Francis Bichara, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction, and Management Council (PDRRMC) chair has declared the province under “preparedness status” where the 15 towns and three cities were advised to prepare disaster avoidance measures once the weather condition worsens.

The PDRRMC has advised disaster authorities to bar fishermen from sailing due to the dangers of rough seas caused by Bising.

/MUF