Cebu, Bohol airports reopen hours after quake

MANILA, Philippines — Airport operations in Cebu and Bohol were affected Tuesday morning after a deadly earthquake hit Bohol and other parts of Visayas and Mindanao

Operations at Mactan-Cebu International Airport and Bohol’s Tagbilaran airport were halted after the quake struck, as airport safety authorities conducted checks.

Mactan Cebu International Airport. CDN FILE PHOTO

By 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, both airports had resumed operations, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines deputy director general John Andrews said in an interview. He noted that damage was reported at both locations.

In the case of Tagbilaran, the second floor ceiling of the terminal collapsed but the debris was already cleared, Andrews said.

Michael Sagcal, a spokesman with the Department of Transportation and Communications, also said that both airports “are back to normal operations” despite damage to the passenger terminals.

“The extent is still being assessed and verified,” he said in a text message, as of Tuesday afternoon.

PAL Express said that flights to Tagbilaran had resumed as of 11 a.m. while budget carrier Cebu Pacific said it cancelled morning flights to Bohol, announcement made through social media showed.

The country’s two biggest telecommunications companies, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. and Globe Telecom said service in earthquake-hit areas continued but noted that operations were likely hindered by the lack of power and damage to their facilities.

“Our network continues to be operational to provide critical telecommunication services for rescue and relief operations affected by the earthquake,” Robert Tan, Globe Chief Technical Adviser, said in a statement.

Still, power outage in earthquake-damaged areas like Tagbilaran in Bohol might adversely affect operations in some of the company’s base stations, Tan said.

PLDT units Smart and Sun Cellular said services have managed to remain “largely operational” despite damage to some cell sites.

“Commercial power in Bohol remains out of service. Power in Cebu has also been affected. In response, we are deploying generator sets to power key cell sites and keep mobile phone and internet services running,” Smart and Sun Cellular said in a joint statement.

The companies added that engineers have been working to restore services.