PCG’s order to halt trips of wooden hull boats to Olango strands hundreds for hours

Passengers at the Hilton Port in Lapu-Lapu City wait for hours to get a ride to Olango Island after the Philippine Coast Guard stopped all wooden hull boats from plying the route on Nov. 1, 2019. |CDND Photo/ Norman V. Mendoza

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu  – Hundreds of passengers crossing Olango Island and Lapu-Lapu City on Mactan Island were stranded for hours after the Philippine Coast Guard prohibits the sailing of wooden hull motorboats plying the route since the morning of Friday, November 1, 2019. 

According to Myrna Daño, manager of the Sta. Rosa Ferry, most of the scheduled hourly trips between Hilton Wharf on Mactan and Sta. Rosa on Olango have been suspended after that the Philippine Coast Guard no longer allow the sailing of wooden-hulled motorized boats.

Passengers at the Hilton Port in Lapu-Lapu City wait for hours to get a ride to Olango Island after the Philippine Coast Guard stopped all wooden hull boats from plying the route on Nov. 1, 2019. |CDND Photo/ Norman V. Mendoza

She said there were around 30 wooden hull motorized passenger boats that were grounded.

“Ang uban man gud kay wala pa gyu’y ika puhonan sa pagpahimo o pagpalit og fiber  o metal hull nga motorboat, mao nga nagsige lang gtud uba sila hangyo sa Coast Guard, pero karon naabot na gyud ang deadline,” said Daño.

(Others were unable to get financing for a fiber or metal hull motorboats, that’s why they just kept on appealing to Coast Guard for reprieve until the deadline came).

Passengers at the Hilton Port in Lapu-Lapu City wait for hours to get a ride to Olango Island after the Philippine Coast Guard stopped all wooden hull boats from plying the route on Nov. 1, 2019. |CDND Photo/ Norman V. Mendoza

Daño explained that based on the experienced of long-time motorboat operators, a wooden hull boat is best for the kind of sea current at Hilutongan Channel compared to a metal of a fiber hull boat, which is also costly.

However, as of Friday, November 1, 2019, all wooden hull motorized passenger boats were no longer given by clearance by the PCG to depart from Hilton Port, Angasil Port, Maribago Port, Marigondon Port, all on Mactan Island;  and from Sta. Rosa Port on Olango.

Daño added that the PCG had given these wooden hull passenger boats until October to replace their vessels but many were not able to comply with the order.

The few operators who were able to acquire the metal and fiber hull motorboats were the only ones that were given clearance by the PCG.

The stranded passengers both on Olango and mainlan Mactan were eventually transported by these boats  to their destinations by dusk but they had to wait for hours for their turn. 

Most of these passengers were to visit their departed ones on Olango ang in the cemeteries within and outside of Lapu-Lapu City./elb