Stranded passengers told to go home, wait for next weather update

Vessels will no longer allowed to leave the ports of Cebu City on Monday morning, October 4, due to Tropical Depression Lannie. | Mae Fhel Gom-os

CEBU CITY, Philippines- At least 25 individuals were left stranded at the Ports of Cebu City as of 10 a.m. on Monday, October 4.

These passengers were scheduled to leave for Luzon and Mindanao areas later in the afternoon or by Monday night, but they were told by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to go home for now following the suspension of sea trips due to Tropical Depression Lannie.

READ: PCG suspends sea travels due to #LanniePH

Petty Officer 2 (PO2) Mark Benson Alob, commander of Coast Guard Aduana Sub Station, said about five to six vessels will be affected by the suspension of trips this Monday.

PCG, Alob said, will send out advisories as soon as sea travels are again permitted.

READ: Cebu under Signal No. 1 due to #LanniePH

As of 10 a.m., at least 25 passengers remained at the Pier 1 passenger terminal in Cebu City.

“Sa pagkakaron, mas maayong di lang sa sila moanhi sa pantalan. Adto lang sa sila sa ilang mga kaila or sa ilang balay maghuwat. Maghuwat gyud ta sa forecast sa Pagasa,” said Alob.

(As of now, it would be best for travelers not to come to the port area. Stay with someone you know or just stay at home. We will have to wait for the next forecast from Pagasa.)

READ: #LanniePH may make landfall in central Cebu on Monday afternoon 

Passengers at Pier 1 in Cebu City were advised to go home and wait for the next advisory from Pagasa. | Mae Fhel Gom-os

Junmark Baguio, 22, he wanted to stay at the port area for a little while hoping that the suspension of sea trips would be lifted within the day.

Baguio is scheduled to depart for Dapitan City later today.

He said that he is going home to his family after he already resigned from a construction company that is based in Talisay City.

“Maghuwat lang usa ko diri basin ma-lift ni ang suspension. Tan-awon nako kon asa ko ani,” Baguio said.

(I would rather wait here for the lifting of the suspension. I will still have to determine where I will go [if sea travels will remain suspended the rest of the day].)

Another passenger, Diomedes Cantuba, 57, decided to go back home to Ginatilan town.

Cantuba was supposed to travel with his 11-year-old son and eight fighting cocks to Manila this Monday night.

But aside from the cancellation of trips, he was advised not to transport his fighting cocks because of the lack of a valid vaccine card.

“Muoli nalang mi’g balik sa Ginatilan, kay mao raman gihapon wala man pod permit ning mga manok kay na-expire na ang ilang vaccine,” he said.

(We are going back to Ginatilan because we will not also be allowed to travel because the vaccine cards for my fighting cocks are already expired.) / dcb