Nearly 3,000 passengers still stranded in Bicol ports due to ‘Amang’

NAGA CITY—Nearly 3,000 passengers, almost half of whom were pilgrims who had hoped to see Pope Francis in Leyte, remained stranded in Bicol ports after they were prevented from leaving since Thursday due to Tropical Storm “Amang,” the Coast Guard in Bicol said.

Petty Officer Second Class Roderick Eclarinal, public information officer of Philippine Coast Guard in Bicol, said 2,857 passengers were stranded in the ports of Sorsogon, Albay, Camarines Sur, Masbate and Catanduanes as of noon Saturday.

He said the passengers were stranded since Thursday midnight when the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) raised Public Storm Signal No. 1 over parts of Bicol and Samar. The storm signal was raised to No. 2 in Sorsogon and Samar provinces on Saturday.

Eclarinal said the 1,910 passengers stranded in ports in Sorsogon were mostly pilgrims who wanted to see Pope Francis in the Leyte leg of his visit to the country. Of this number, 1,800 were stranded in Matnog going to Allen in Eastern Samar; 92 in Pilar and 18 in Bulan.

In Albay, 755 were stranded in ports in Tabaco City and Pio Duran. In Masbate, 92 were stranded in Cataingan, Milagros, Placer and Masbate City. In Camarines Sur, 76 were stranded in Pasacao, Gijalo and Tinambac while in Catanduanes, 24 were stranded.

A total of 249 cargo vehicles, 14 sea vessels, five motor banca and four light vehicles were also stranded in these ports, he added.

As of 1 p.m. Saturday, the center of Amang was estimated at 75 kilometers northeast of Borongan, Eastern Samar. Signal No. 2 was raised over Catanduanes, Albay, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon and Masbate, including Burias Island and Ticao Island.

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