PCG suspends sea trips, thousands of passengers stranded due to 'Paeng'

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard recorded nearly 2,000 passengers stranded in the Bicol and Eastern Visayas regions, prompting it to suspend sea trips in the region with Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2 hoisted due to Tropical Storm Paeng. 

In separate advisories, the Philippine Coast Guard disclosed it monitored a total of 1,938 passengers, drivers, and cargo helpers; 691 rolling cargoes; 25 vessels; and 24 motorbancas stranded. 

52 other vessels and 10 motorbancas were also documented taking shelter in Bicol, Southern Tagalog, and Eastern Visayas regions amid the onslaught of Paeng. 

From midnight to 6 a.m. on Friday the Philippine Coast Guard said it also deployed 2,334 personnel who inspected 163 vessels and 204 motorbancas. 

They also monitored 15,217 outbound passengers and 15,556 inbound passengers in all ports and waterways across the country.

A number of ports under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Ports Authority have also been notified of the temporary suspension of trips from and to them based on existing rules whenever there is bad weather.

These include the Port Management Offices of: 

• Eastern Leyte, Samar: Port of Borongan, Port of Calbayog, Port of Catbalogan, Port of Guiuan, Port of San Isidro
• Bicol: Port of Legazpi, Port of Pio Duran, Port of Tabaco, Port of Matnog, Port of Catanduanes, Port of San Andres
• Marinduque/Quezon: Baseport Lucena. Port of Marinduque, Port of San Andres, Quezon, TMO Balanacan, TMO Cawit, TMO Sta. Cruz
• Batangas: Port of Batangas (Trips bound for Ports in Romblon), Ports in Masbate and Starlite Shipping to Port of Caticlan, Port of Tablas
• Masbate: Baseport Masbate, Port of Aroroy, Port of Cawayan, Port of Claveria, Port of Esperanza, Port of Mandaon
• Bohol: Baseport Tagbilaran (trips bound for Dumaguete, Siquijor, Cebu City), Port of Getafe (Cordova), Port of Ubay (Bato, Leyte, Hilongos Leyte), Port of Jagna (Camiguin)
• Panay/Guimaras: Baseport Iloilo, Fort San Pedro (2Go Masagana bound for Manila, cancelled until 11AM), Port of Estancia
• Surigao: Baseport Surigao, Port of San Jose, Port of Liapata, Port of Dapa, Port of Tandag, Port of Dinagat, Port of Surigao del Norte
• Misamis Oriental/CDO: Port of Balbagon (Balbagon, Camiguin to Jagna, Bohol trip

In a separate situation report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said that 4,975 persons from the Bicol and Western Visayas regions were preemptively evacuated, while 3,605 were listed as displaced persons being served in 20 evacuation centers. 

As a result, 1,322 families or 5,266 persons from 11 cities were listed as being affected by the rains brought on by Paeng. 

No casualties and injuries have yet been confirmed as of this writing.