Hundreds stranded in Bicol ports

By: Mar S. Arguelles - 10 years ago

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines—More than 1,700 passengers, some 400 trucks and buses and about a dozen seacraft remained stranded in the ports of Sorsogon and Masbate over the last two days after they were prevented from leaving ports due to the bad weather spawned by Tropical Depression Basyang.

Rafael Bernardo Alejandro, director of the Office of Civil Defense in Bicol, said the suspension of maritime travel began when the Philippine Coast Guard issued a “no sailing” order on Friday at the ports of Sorsogon and Masbate as a precautionary measure in light of rough seas churned up by the storm.

Alejandro said that as of 6 a.m. Saturday, there were 1,574 passengers bound for the port of Allen in Samar who were still marooned at the port of Matnog in Sorsogon; 90 passengers bound for Masbate City stranded at the Pilar port, also in Sorsogon; while 82 passengers were stranded in the ports of Bapor, Cataingan and Placer towns in Masbate.

Also prevented from leaving the ports in Sorsogon and Masbate were a total of 372 trucks, 35 cars, 11 buses, 11 ships and 3 motorized bancas, Alejandro said in a phone interview on Saturday.

Masbate province remained under storm signal No. 1.

Sorsogon, Albay, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte and Catanduanes have been experiencing cloudiness and moderate rains.

Pagasa also issued a gale warnings in the Camarines provinces, Catanduanes, and the eastern coast of Albay and Sorsogon.

Fishing boats and other small vessels were advised not to venture out to sea while larger sea vessels are alerted to big waves.