Bernardo Alejandro, Office of Civil Defense
director in the Bicol region, said that as of noon Sunday, the stranded
passengers included 431 at the port of Tabaco City and 137 in Pio Duran,
both in Albay; 56 at Bulan Port and 58 at Pilar Port, both in Sorsogon;
11 at the Virac port and seven in San Andres Port, both in
Catanduanes; 19 at the Pasacao Port; and 11 at Guijalo, both in
Camarines Norte.
Also stranded in these ports were 78 cargo trucks, 15 sea vessels and 3 motorized banca.
Seaman First Danilo Gerona of the Philippine
Coast Guard in Bicol (PCG 5), said these passengers and vessels were
stranded since Saturday after the Coast Guard issued a gale warning for
fishing boats, small sea craft and larger sea vessels traveling along
the seaboards of Visayas and the eastern seaboard of Southern Luzon and
Mindanao.
There was no report of missing fishermen as of Sunday, in Bicol, Gerona added.
nd-province of Catanduanes, were
provided with meals since Saturday by the provincial government of
Albay, said Alejandro.
All flights in Legazpi City were meanwhile
canceled Sunday due to low visibility but those at the Naga City
Airport, which was suspended earlier in the day, resumed at 11 a.m.,
said Alejandro.
In Catanduanes, health and disaster
authorities were placed on alert as the province, where storm signal
number 1 has been hoisted Saturday, was battered by tropical storm
Luis. A detour bridge at the village of Hicming in the capital town of
Virac was destroyed at the storm on Saturday, isolating six villages.
Meanwhile, Senior Supt. Marlo Meneses, chief
of the Albay police, said additional policemen were deployed at the
Tabaco port to beef up security as the number of stranded passengers
continued to rise.
The storm warning signal over Catanduanes
has been lowered but gale warning was still enforced in this area,
which means sailing and fishing remained prohibited, based on the 11
a.m bulletin of Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical
Services Administration (Pagasa).
