Passenger vessels cleared to sail, told to heed weather advisories

CEBU’S passenger vessels were cleared to sail by the Cebu Coast Guard after three days of being docked due to typhoon Pablo in the province.

The order grounding ships was lifted on Wednesday when the weather improved except of vessels going to Manila and Batangas.

But Cebu Coast Guard station commander Captain Rolando Punzalan said four motorboats still sailed even if Cebu was placed under storm signal no. 2 and 3 last Tuesday.

The operators were issued maritime violations and apprehension receipts to confirm their sanctions.

These include a motorboat which sailed from Talisay City to Sibulan Negros Oriental but malfunctioned off Santander town in Cebu and the motorboat JRT which left Medellin for Bantayan town.

Another motorboat left from Pasil, Cebu City for Inabanga Bohol when its engine malfunctioned along the Mactan Channel.

A pumpboat from San Vicente Lapu-Lapu city went fishing off Caubian island despite the storm signals.

Punzalan said they will summon the operators of those motorboats to warn them against violating their travel ban in the future.

Cebu Coast Guard grounded the vessels in the Cebu port since Monday.

The order was lifted last Wednesday noon, except those for Manila and Batangas which were allowed only at 5 pm on Wednesday.

The air transportation in Cebu also normalized last Wednesday after nearly all provincial flights were canceled last Tuesday.

Jerome Oyao, staffer of the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) Public Affairs office said all flights went smoothly since Wednesday. Correspondent Jhunnex Napallacan