ILOILO City – More than 300 passengers at ports in this city and Iloilo province were stranded after sea trips were cancelled on Saturday.
Strong waves and a gale warning issued by the state weather bureau prompted the Philippine Coast Guard to temporarily halt sea travel in Western Visayas.
Typhoon Ompong (international name: Mangkhut) was battering portions of Luzon and enhancing the southwest monsoon.
Over 200 passengers bound for Buenavista, Guimaras were stranded at the Parola wharf and 151 at the port of Dumangas, Iloilo as of 3 p.m. on Saturday, said Lieutenant Rodolfo Dela Peña, commander of Coast Guard-Iloilo.
The passengers were told to come home and wait for the resumption of the trips Sunday morning, said Dela Peña.
Fast craft and RORO vessel trips were cancelled starting 10 a.m. while motorboats plying Iloilo-Guimaras and vice versa were prevented from putting out to sea starting 11 a.m.
Fifty-three rolling cargos and four vessels were stranded at the Dumangas Port as well, said Coast Guard Iloilo.
Coast Guard Region 6 has not recorded any more stranded passengers in Capiz, Antique, Aklan, and Guimaras provinces and Bacolod City, according to spokesperson Lieutenant Commander Ramil Palabrica.
“Para man ini sa ila safety para to avoid any untoward incident,” Dela Peña said of the sea trip cancellation.
FISHER MISSING
Meanwhile Palabrica said the Coast Guard learned that a fisherman has gone missing in Sitio Barosbos, Barangay Asluman, Gigantes Norte, Carles town.
Carlos Malaga, 65, put out to sea on Friday afternoon, the Coast Guard said. He has not yet returned as of this writing.
His daughter, 20-year-old Mariel, reported him missing at the municipal police station.
Local authorities were still searching for him as of this writing.
Palabrica once again reminded fishers not to put out to sea amid strong waves and the gale warning. He advised them to wait for Ompong to exit the Philippine area of responsibility.
“Habang ari pa ang typhoon Ompong kag may gale warning indi magbiyahe kay delikado gid,” he stressed./PN
