PCG Cebu Allows Vessels to Leave Cebu Port

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Cebu Station allowed 42 inter-island vessels stranded in Cebu due to tropical storm “Marce” to resume operations Friday.

This came after the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) lifted all public storm warning signals all over Cebu.

Ensign Melton Ngalew, PCG Cebu Station deputy commander, said around 2,567 passengers stranded in the pier area in Cebu City since Thursday were allowed to travel around 11 a.m. Friday when the typhoon signal in Cebu was finally lifted.

Cebu provincial officials said Marce did not cause much damage in Cebu.

But some 23 families in Sogod town in northern Cebu were evacuated due to flooding spawned by heavy rains.

Julius Regner of the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office said some agricultural plants and banana trees were also damaged in northern Cebu.

There were no reports of incidents related to typhoon Marce in Cebu City, according to the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO).

But city officials urged the public to remain vigilant and careful, as landslide and flooding are anticipated due to the continuous rain.

Nagiel Banacia, CDRRMO chief, said responders of the quick response team of the different villages patrolled their respective areas to monitor any flooding or landslide incidents.

“But there were no reports of landslides or any untoward incident“, he said. (PNA)LAP/EB/RSM