A sudden strong blast of wind topples down tents and chairs at the South Bus Terminal yesterday afternoon; while laborer Franklin Canoy Jr. (right) and maintenance worker Philip Salve Tañeza were blown away by the wind in a freak accident. Both are shown here trying to fix the tents. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
Franklin Canoy Jr., a laborer at Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) along Natalio Bacalso Avenue, Cebu City was arranging plastic chairs at around 1:25 p.m. yesterday along with other employees for the influx of passengers expected to be traveling for the weekend when a sudden gust of wind swept in.
The strong wind blew away not just the chairs but Canoy and 26-year-old Philip Salve Tañeza, a maintenance worker at the bus terminal.
“We were raised five feet above and were slammed to the floor,” Canoy told Cebu Daily News in Cebuano.
The incident, he said, also ripped his pants.
The 45-year-old laborer sustained bruises in his right arm while his back was hurting at the time of the interview from the impact of his fall. Tañeza sustained bruises on his left wrist.
Despite the accident, Canoy said that they were still lucky because they were not hit by tents that buckled from the gust.
There were ten tents set up for passengers at the back of the terminal yesterday but when winds blew, three tents collapsed while another was blown away towards a construction site where a mall is expected to rise.
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) Mactan weather specialist, Manny John Agbay explained that the sudden gust of wind was caused by the Southwest monsoon or “Habagat” winds.
“What was experienced at the south terminal was just winds and not a whirlwind. There was no thunderstorm clouds and activity seen here,” Agbay told Cebu Daily News.
Thunderstorm activities produce heavy rains, thunderstorm, lightning and waterspouts.
Joey Herrera, CSBT operations manager immediately ordered the tents fixed yesterday to accommodate an estimated 20 to 25 thousand passengers waiting to catch southbound buses for the weekend.