Over 1,500 passengers stranded in various Luzon ports due to `Santi’

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—More than 1,500 passengers have been stranded in various ports in Luzon as typhoon Santi (international name Nari) approached Aurora-Isabela area.

In their website, the Philippine Coast Guard said that as of Friday noon, there were 1,557 passengers stranded in the following Coast Guard stations:

Manila – 281

Southern Tagalog:

Batangas – 199

Calapan – 150

Puerto Real – 9

Mamburao – 99

Lucena – 152

Bicol:

Catanduanes – 15

Albay – 642

Camarines Sur – 10

Coast Guard chief Rear Admiral Rodolfo Isorena reminded all shipping vessels were not permitted to travel in areas where storms signals were raised.

If a shipping vessel was placed under a storm signal while at sea, it should take shelter immediately, he said.

He also instructed all Coast Guard station and district commanders that they can suspend the voyage of passenger boats and ships even in areas without a storm signal if they notice that the sea condition will continue to become rough.

Earlier, Inquirer Southern Luzon reported that close to 500 passengers were stranded in two Bicol ports—Tabaco in Albay and San Andres in Catanduanes—due to bad weather.

The report said the passengers were stranded in the ports since Thursday after maritime authorities prevented small vessels from leaving port as public storm signal No. 1 went up over the Bicol provinces of Albay, Catanduanes, Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte.

Rafael Bernardo Alejandro, Office of Civil Defense regional director, said he has placed the Bicol Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on “blue alert” status as early as Wednesday, with personnel monitoring the weather and situation in various places ‘round the clock. – With a report by Mar S. Arguelles, Inquirer Southern Luzon