LEGAZPI CITY — Close to a thousand sea travelers bound for Visayas and Mindanao are still marooned on Sunday in various seaports in Bicol as Typhoon Bising (international name Surigae) moves closer to Bicol region, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Bicol said.
Gremil Alexis Naz, OCD Bicol spokesperson, said aside from the 995 stranded passengers, there were 192 trucks, 116 cars, 11 buses, seven sea vessels, and 20 small boats that were also grounded at the ports of Sorsogon, Albay, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Masbate, and Catanduanes.
The Philippine Coast Guard canceled sea travels in various ports on Friday as a pre-emptive measure due to the imminent danger posed by rouge seas.
The Land Transportation Office reported that 173 trucks bound for the Visayas and Mindanao are still occupying a long queue along the Maharlika Highway in Camarines Sur, and Sorsogon.
As of 5 a.m. Sunday, Bising had maximum sustained winds of 215 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 265 km/h, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
The state weather bureau said Bising on Sunday “will bring moderate to heavy with at times intense rains over Eastern Visayas and Bicol Region.”
Pagasa also said Bising will cause “very rough to very high seas” over the northern and eastern seaboard of Eastern Visayas, rough to very high seas over the eastern seaboard of Luzon and rough to very rough seas over the eastern seaboard of Caraga.
“Sea travel is risky for all types of seacrafts over these waters,” the bulletin said.
Pagasa predicts that Bising will continue moving northwestward over the Philippine Sea east of Bicol Region and is likely to slow down considerably and begin turning more northward tonight or Monday early morning.
“Considering the uncertainty in the track forecast of the typhoon, a westward shift in the current forecast track may result in potentially significant impacts over the eastern portions of Southern Luzon and Visayas,” the state weather bureau said.