Travel from Luzon to Mindanao suspended in Liloan port in Southern Leyte

TACLOBAN CITY—The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council has suspended travel from Luzon to Mindanao as about 800 passengers were stranded at the port of Liloan town in Southern Leyte.

The suspension started Thursday, Dec. 23, until further notice.

The move aims to decongest the seaport, which was damaged by Typhoon “Odette.”

The stranded passengers were bound mostly for Mindanao.

The order does not cover those who would provide aid and those carrying perishable items.

The city government of Tacloban, headed by Mayor Alfred Romualdez, provided 300 sacks of rice, 30 gallons of water, and medical assistance to San Juan town, one of the hard-hit areas in the province.

Several local governments and the private sector have also conducted their relief operations in Southern Leyte, which was placed under a state of calamity effective Monday due to the damage from Odette’s wrath.

Letecia Gerondio, 53, of Barangay Himamang-an, also in Liloan, said she was happy they were receiving aid from outside the province.

Gerondio, however, said she was sad that the typhoon destroyed their house.

“I don’t know if we can celebrate Christmas but we are thankful for the outpouring of assistance,” she said.

Aside from food and water, Gerondio hoped that they would also be given tarpaulins for their makeshift tents.

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