LAPU-LAPU City Mayor Paz Radaza offered the city’s two sea ambulance motorboats and rented two other big motorboats to transport passengers from Angasil wharf in Barangay Mactan to Olango Island and back.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) also offered their vessel to bring passengers affected by PCG’s “anti-kolorum” campaign that was launched last month to apprehend unregistered passenger boats.
PCG Cebu Station Commander Agapito Bibat said in a phone interview they were also conducting order in sea transportation after learning that many passenger motorboats were no longer following laws.
“We are just looking at the safety of the passengers, so that when an accident happens, we can identify who is liable,” he said.
The PCG earlier received a complaint through the social media regarding an overloaded motorboat plying the Olango-Lapu-Lapu route, prompting them to conduct the anti-kolorum campaign wherein seven to eight passenger motorboats were found to have incomplete documents. The apprehended motorboats were later advised to comply first with the documents required by Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) before they can resume sailing.
About three days ago, hundreds of passengers were stranded in Angasil wharf due to non-availability of passenger motorboats. Some island-hopping boats were also affected by the campaign.