Stranded passengers at the Port of Danao City spend their Christmas inside an evacuation center as they wait for passenger ships to resume their voyages to Camotes Island. | Photo from Danao City Government FB
CEBU CITY, Philippines — At least 99 passengers remain stranded in the Port of Danao City on Monday, Dec. 26 as rough seas due to inclement weather prevented ships from sailing.
The Danao City government on Monday have confirmed that the stranded individuals have been waiting for passenger vessels bound for Camotes Island to resume their voyages since Christmas Eve, Dec. 24.
They had been staying inside a designated evacuation center since Christmas Eve, said Mitch Mondigo, public information officer of Danao City.
She also confirmed that passenger shipping lines had not resumed their trips to and from Danao City Port on Monday as the gale warning had remained in effect.
“Rough seas gihapon. Naa pud mga magabot-abot kay nagtuo nga okay na,” Mondigo told reporters in a message.
(It is still rough seas. But there are still others who wait believing that it will eventually be okay to travel.)
Since the stranded passengers were unable to spend their Christmas Day with their loved ones, the local government and concerned private individuals offered them a simple Noche Buena inside the evacuation center.
“We always house stranded individuals sa Evacuation Center. The center has shelter and bathrooms. Naa pud food giluto ang Bayanihan Cooking team,” added Mondigo.
(We always house stranded individuals in the evacuation center. The center has shelter and bathrooms. There are also food cooked by the Bayanihan Cooking team.)
More than 1,000 passengers were left stranded in various ports in Cebu since Christmas Eve due to poor weather conditions.
The gale warning enforced by the state weather bureau prohibited several passenger sea vessels from sailing out to sea as waves can reach up to 4.5 meters in height.
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration in Mactan (Pagasa-Mactan) said bad weather in Visayas and Mindanao is due to the prevailing shear line, the combined effects of the easterlies and northeast monsoon (or amihan).
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