‘Pablo’ strands boat passengers in Visayas areas

More than 500 passengers were stranded as the Coast Guard suspended boat trips in several areas in the Visayas as Typhoon “Pablo” neared the Philippines on Monday.

As this developed, local officials are preparing for the possible effects of Pablo that is expected to hit the Visayas on Tuesday afternoon.

Police Officer 1 Mario Rosaldo Madrigal, Coast Guard Maasin deputy station commander, said there were 170 passengers and 50 rolling cargoes that were affected by the suspension of boat trips.

These include 50 passengers and 30 rolling cargoes in Hilongos, Leyte; 21 passengers in Bato, Leyte; nine passengers and two rolling cargoes in Liloan, Leyte; and 90 passengers and 18 rolling cargoes in Benit ferry terminal.

The Cebu Coast Guard also canceled the trips of at least 13 vessels, mostly fastcrafts bound for Getafe, Tubigon and Tagbilaran City in Bohol, Ormoc City and Camotes Island, said Commander Rolando Punzalan of the Cebu Coast Guard.

Punzalan said 20 passengers were stranded in Danao City port, where vessels bound for Camotes were docked while 358 passengers in Tagbilaran City were stranded.

Punzalan said the vessels bound for Southern Leyte, other parts of Eastern Visayas and Manila would also be barred from leaving.

On Monday noon, the Coast Guard in Western Visayas also prevented the travel of boats plying between Iloilo and Bacolod Cities and all roll on, roll off vessels (Roro) and ships from ports in Western Visayas.

Southern Leyte Gov. Damian Mercado, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) chair, has directed the council to implement their contingency plans to prevent unnecessary casualty and damages. Southern Leyte, along with Bohol, has been placed under signal number 2.

In Tacloban City, nine villages located along the shore or at low-lying areas were identified by the city risk reduction management council for possible evacuation. The city’s astrodome was identified as the evacuation center for the families who could be affected by Pablo.

Chief Superintendent Elmer Soria, Eastern Visayas police regional director, has directed all local police stations to be on alert and activate their respective disaster units for any eventualities amid threat of Pablo.

In a meeting held Monday, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, who chairs the Cebu PDRRMC, has directed the activation of the Capitol action center for a 24-hour monitoring of the conditions in the province.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes have suspended classes in all levels in their cities on Tuesday.

Oscar Tabada of Pag-asa in Mactan said the southern towns in Cebu would be most likely affected when Pablo make a landfall on Tuesday evening.

Government agencies and local government units in Western Visayas scrambled to prepare for worst as the super typhoon “Pablo” made landfall and is expected to pass the provinces in the Visayas on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Western Visayas Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has advised local government units to undertake preemptive evacuations in flood and landslide-prone areas in the provinces of Antique, Aklan, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo and Negros Occidental, said Rosario Cabrera, Office of Civil Defense Western Visayas director.

Heavy equipment and dump trucks were readied while soldiers, policemen and search and rescue personnel were pre-positioned for quick response in provinces in the region.

On the other hand, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has made preparations to minimize the impact of Typhoon Pablo on NGCP operations and facilities.  Reports from Jani Arnaiz, Joey Gabieta, Jhunnex Napallacan, Carmel Loise Matus, Carla Gomez and Nestor Burgos