295 passengers, 97 vehicles stranded in Bicol ports due to ‘Jolina’

LEGAZPI CITY––At least 295 passengers and 97 vehicles were stranded Tuesday in major ports in Bicol after the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) enforced the no-sailing policy before the state weather bureau raised storm signal warnings due to Typhoon “Jolina” (international name: Conson).

Gremil Alexis Naz, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) spokesperson in Bicol said 97 trucks, buses, cars, and 12 sea vessels were stranded with the passengers, mostly in Matnog port in Sorsogon. The travelers on their way to Catanduanes, Masbate, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

Four sea vessels also took shelter in the ports of Pio Duran in Albay and Matnog.

Naz said evacuations were ongoing in the eastern portion of Masbate that were expected to be affected by the landfall, among them Pio V. Corpuz, Palanas, Cataingan, Placer, Dimasalang, Uson, Cawayan, Esperanza Mobo, and Ticao Island.

Earlier on Tuesday, the local governments in some towns in Sorsogon (Donsol, Pilar, Sta. Magdalena, Bulan, Irosin, and Castilla) declared suspension of online classes and activities in all levels in public and private schools and work in public offices.

Albay province also declared suspension of online classes at all levels in private and public schools and in-person classes in government learning facilities.

Work in public and private offices was also suspended, while groceries and other essential services were allowed to operate only until Tuesday noon.

Naga City in Camarines Sur also suspended classes and work in government offices. Beginning noon Tuesday, work in government offices would be suspended, while private offices and companies would be allowed to operate until 5 p.m.

Classes in all levels, regardless of learning modality, were also suspended in the morning.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), in its 8 a.m. weather bulletin, said Jolina has emerged over the Samar Sea and moving towards Masbate.

Moving northwest at 15 kilometers per hour (kph), the typhoon is packing maximum sustained winds of 120 kph near the center and gusts of up to 150 kph, according to the weather bureau.

Pagasa said Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 3 was hoisted over the northern and eastern portions of Masbate (Pio V. Corpuz, Palanas, Cataingan, Placer, Dimasalang, Uson, Cawayan, Esperanza, Mobo, Aroroy, Baleno, City of Masbate, Mandaon, Milagros), including Ticao and Burias Islands.

Signal no. 2 was raised over Albay, Sorsogon, the rest of Masbate, the western and southern portions of Camarines Sur (Del Gallego, Lupi, Ragay, Libmanan, Sipocot, Cabusao, Pasacao, Pamplona, Gainza, Camaligan, Canaman, Magarao, Bombon, Naga City, Pili, Ocampo, Iriga City, Sagñay, Buhi, Milaor, San Fernando, Minalabac, Bula, Nabua, Baao, Balatan, Bato, Calabanga), and the western portion of Camarines Norte (Capalonga, Jose Panganiban, Labo, San Vicente, San Lorenzo Ruiz, Santa Elena).

Signal no.1 was raised in Catanduanes, the rest of Camarines Sur and the rest of Camarines Norte.

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