Stranded passengers compete for tickets with holiday crowd

Passengers stranded by tropical storm Ofel had to struggle for tickets in the Cebu City Port where  a heavy crowd of passengers headed out of town for the long weekend and  All Souls’ and All Saints’  Days.

The suspension of sea voyages was lifted at  11 a.m.  Thursday, but many passengers stranded in the port as  early as Monday were unable to board the next available trip due to the  holiday traffic.

Volunteer relief groups and the Cebu Port Authority distributed free food to several passengers already suffering from strained budgets.

Sherlinda Pagaduan, who’s been stuck in the pier area since Tuesday with  three young children, feared they couldn’t get a trip to  Bohol because they were among many people who still had to buy tickets.

“Wa naman mi baligyai pag-Martes kay suspended na. Ambot kon makalarga ba mi ani karon nga unahon man gyud ang mga anaa nay ticket,” Pagaduan said.

(When we came here last Tuesday, we were not issued tickets because of the suspension. We are not sure if we can board the next ship because they prioritize those who have tickets.)

She said she worried about sanitary  conditions in the terminal where her youngest daughter, a two-year-old was already suffering cough, colds and fever since Wednesday night.

She blamed her weakened health on the uncomfortable setup in the pier where they had no place to rest properly.

A wedding coordinator, who was bringing fresh flowers since Tuesday  was supposed to be at a 3 p.m. wedding yesterday in Bohol province.

He later called his company to buy flowers in Bohol to replace his wilted supply even if it cost more.

Mercedes Udtujan, 73, was  thankful that her family was safe and that they were assisted by personnel of the terminal where they were stranded.

The  Udtujan family was  among the stranded passengers in Pier 1 since   Wednesday afternoon as trips were canceled due to typhoon “Ofel”.

Udtujan, a resident of Oroquieta city in Misamis Occidental said that they came to Cebu last Monday because her  husband was scheduled for a checkup in Chong Hua Hospital.

They were  to return  home last Wednesday but sea trips were canceled due to the bad weather.

Udtujan said she was thankful that they were allowed to reenter the pre-departure area of the terminal even though they were unalbe to buy  tickets in advance.

“My son pleaded to allow us to stay inside since my husband just came from his check-up,” she said. Breakfast were served to the the stranded passengers.

Udtujan said that she was  grateful that they were still safe and  able to sleep well indoors.

“Nagpasalamat mi kay wala mi nila gipasagdan”, she said. (We are thankful that they assisted us.)

She said they didn’t  encounter major problems while staying in  the terminal since food was distributed by the Department of Social Work and Development, the CPA and major TV networks..