Passengers wait at the Hagnaya Port Terminal for the resumption of sea travels. | Photo from FB page of Vice Mayor Mariano R. Martinez
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – Hundreds of passengers continue to crowd passenger terminals in parts of Cebu province hoping to go home to their hometowns today, Dec. 24, and spend Christmas with their families.
In San Remegio town in northern Cebu, close to a thousand passengers remain stranded as of 8 a.m. at the Hagnaya Port Passenger Terminal.
“Hangtod karon, wala pa gihapon naka biyahe ang mga barko gikan sa Hagnaya Port paingon sa isla sa Bantayan ug Cawayan, Masbate tungod sa kadagko sa balod,” Vice Mayor Mariano Martinez said.
“Nanghinaut ang mga pasahero nga maka biyahe na ang barko kay aron maka saulog sila sa pasko kauban ila pamilya,” he added.
| LGU Daanbantayan
At the Maya Port in Daanbantayan town, at least 23 passengers, who are bound for Malapascua Island, are also stranded.
In Punta Engaño in Lapu-Lapu City, passengers who are bound for Olango Island and the neighboring Bohol province also crowd the passenger terminal as they wait for the resumption of sea travels.
Most of the passengers were carrying with them sacks of rice, ingredients for fruit salad and spaghetti and packs of biscuits to bring home to their families.
Gale Warning
The Philippine Coast Guard Station in Northern Cebu ordered the temporary suspension of sea travels for vessels that weigh 250 gross tons and below after the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) issued a gale warning at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 23,
“Voyage of vessels will resume upon improvement of weather and sea condition in the above mentioned areas,” it said.
“The Eastern Visayas will have cloudy skies with scattered to widespread rainshowers and thunderstorms due to Shearline. The rest of Visayas, and of Palawan including Kalayaan Islands will have cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms due to Shearline. Occidental Mindoro will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with light rains due to Northeast Monsoon,” it said.
“Moderate to strong winds from the Northeast to North will prevail over Visayas, Palawan including Kalayaan Islands, and Occidental Mindoro with moderate to rough seas,” Pagasa added.
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