Bohol-bound Passengers Stranded in Cebu

Passengers bound for Bohol were stranded here Thursday after six seafaring vessels were not allowed by the Philippine Coast Guard to ply their scheduled routes due to the threat posed by tropical storm Vinta.

Commander Jerome Cayabyab of the PCG Cebu Station said they cancelled all trips to Bohol as the neighboring province was placed under storm signal no. 1 by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

As Pagasa also hoisted signal no. 1 in Southern Cebu, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), meanwhile, declared a “State of Preparedness” in the area.

Baltazar Tribunalo Jr., PDRRMO head, ordered the constant monitoring of the affected towns in Southern Cebu and advised residents in flood- and landslide-prone areas to be always vigilant and be ready to evacuate their homes when calamity strikes.

Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board – 7 Director Ahmed Cuizon also cancelled the trips of buses bound for Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental.

“Vinta” has been spotted 340 kilometers east of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur and was maintaining its course towards Southern Mindanao, where it is expected to make a landfall by Thursday night.

Scattered rainshowers are expected in Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Caraga and Davao Region, and Northern Mindanao in the next 24 hours. (PNA)