| Motorists crowd a gasoline station along M.C. Briones Street in Mandaue City early on Sunday morning, December 19. | Doris Bongcac
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebuanos continue to crowd grocery stores, gasoline stations and automated teller machines (ATMs) on Sunday, December 19.
As early as 6 a.m., people were already crowding an ATM located along A.C. Cortes Avenue in Mandaue City.
This was already the second day that a long queue of people can be seen in the area.
Just a few meters away, a long queue of vehicles can also be seen at a gasoline station located at the foot of the Maguikay flyover. The queue of vehicles is over a kilometer long.
Vehicles form a single line on the northbound lane of the national highway while the end of the queue can be seen at the vicinity of the Coca Cola Cebu Plant located along MC Briones Street or about a kilometer away from the gas station.
A long queue of vehicles can also be seen in other gasoline stations that are also located along the national highway.
At the Cebu Business Park (CBP) in Cebu City, people have started to form a single line outside, even before a mall there could open its supermarket.
Edna, a Cebu City resident, said she needed to buy supplies since they no longer have food at home.
A resident of Barangay Kamputhaw, she said, they already consumed the meat and other groceries that she bought before the typhoon hit on Thursday.
“Amo na gi hurot og luto tanan kay mangada-ot na unya kay wala may kuryente. Dili na man namo ma ref ang karne,” she said.
While it remains uncertain when Cebu City homes will again have electricity and in order to avoid food wastage, Edna said, she will be shopping canned goods, cup noodles and biscuits this time.
A convenience store located close to the Cebu Business Park in Cebu City is running out of supply. | Doris Bongcac
Buyers are forced to crowd grocery stores that are found in malls since most of the establishments in Metro Cebu remain closed on Sunday.
Convenience stores located near CBP that opened starting on Saturday are also running out of supplies. People crowded these places to buy food and drinks since most of the fast food stores and carrenderias in city have remained close.
The cashier of a convenience store located close to the CBP said they could not yet request for delivery to replenish their supplies because of travel difficulties caused by Typhoon Odette.