Governor Davide Suspends Jan. 9 Classes Due to ‘Auring’

Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III on Sunday ordered the cancellation of classes on Monday, January 9, in all public and private elementary and high schools in Cebu due to tropical depression “Auring”.

Baltazar Tribunalo, Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (PDRRM) chief, said the suspension of classes was based not only on the strength of the wind but also on floods and landslides that Auring may cause.

Tribunalo said Davide’s order does not include the cities of Cebu and Lapu-Lapu, which are independent from Cebu province, and the colleges and universities that have their own charters.

Tribunalo said the governor issued the order after the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration raised public storm signal number 1 over Cebu.

The public storm signal number 1 also prompted Commander Dionilett Ampil, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Cebu commander, to bar all vessels from sailing from Cebu to any destination.

Ampil said under Memorandum Circular 02-13, no vessel of any type shall be allowed to sail when public storm signal number 1 is raised from the port of origin or destination.

Captain Gimbi Tiongzon, chief of the Cebu Port Authority (CPA) Harbor Control Center, said 23 vessels from various shipping lines and destinations have been stranded at Cebu ports.

Among them are vessels from Cokaliong Shipping Lines, Trans Asia Shipping Lines and Lite Shipping Corporation. (PNA)JBP/EB/SSC