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All shipping, fishing ops resume as 'Agaton' dissipates

By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz

April 13, 2022, 7:17 pm

<p><em>(File photo)</em></p>

(File photo)

MANILA – All shipping and fishing operations in all ports nationwide have been allowed to resume on Wednesday as former tropical storm Agaton dissipated 65 kilometers southeast of Guiuan, Eastern Samar.

In an advisory, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said the resumption of operations began at 9 a.m.—allowing all passengers, truck drivers and cargo helpers, vessels, motor bancas, and rolling cargoes to travel by sea after being stranded due to inclement weather.

In a Laging Handa briefing, PCG spokesperson Commodore Armando Balilo said there were around 3,000 stranded individuals at ports nationwide as of Wednesday morning according to data from the PCG command center.

“Pero dahil kahapon ay nagpalayag na tayo dito sa Matnog at kaninang umaga dito sa Central Visayas, inaasahan natin na unti-unti na po itong mababawasan at mawawala (But because we were able to resume sea travel at Matnog and recently in Central Visayas, we expect this to lessen and eventually disappear),” Balilo said.

These stranded individuals, he said, received food and water from the PCG, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), and respective local government units (LGU) while they await the resumption of their journey.

To date, he said sea travel has resumed at ports in the Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas, Northeastern Mindanao, and Central Visayas.

He noted that ports nationwide are expecting to receive an influx of passengers during the holy week.

“Binabantayan po natin diyan iyong eastern seaboard at saka iyong western seaboard ng nautical highway. Ibig sabihin ito pong Batangas papunta ng Mindoro, Mindoro papunta ng Roxas, Mindoro to Caticlan, at hanggang sa makarating po sa Iloilo (We are monitoring the eastern and western seaboards of the nautical highway. This includes Batangas to Mindoro, Mindoro to Roxas, Mindoro to Caticlan, and up to Iloilo),” Balilo said.

He also reminded the public to check for the necessary documents before they begin their travel, notably their vaccination card and other requirements by their destination LGU, and to follow other protocols such as declaring dangerous cargo such as sharp objects, flammable liquids, and other hazardous materials.

Rescue, search ops

Meanwhile, Balilo said the PCG has intensified its rescue and search operations in areas affected by “Agaton”, especially in Baybay, Leyte where landslides and floods have caused fatalities and forced the local government to declare a state of calamity.

He said PCG personnel are currently all over Eastern Visayas to help address the disaster left in the wake of “Agaton.”

“As we speak also, mga tauhan po ng PCG Guard sa Iloilo at Capiz, humigit-kumulang sa sampung deployable response group ay kasama pa rin po ng mga LGU ng Iloilo at ng Capiz para po sa mga evacuation at sa mga rescue operations pa sa mga flooded areas (As we speak, there are PCG personnel in Iloilo and Capiz with around 10 deployable response groups and the local government to help in evacuation and rescue operations in flooded areas),” Balilo said.

Balilo said the PCG is also working on the submerged M/V Mika Mari off Camotes Island in Cebu that sank during the onslaught of “Agaton.”

He noted that the vessel did not have any passengers and all 13 of its crew have been rescued and are in good health.

“Ang huling report po sa atin ay lalagyan po ng oil spill boom para naman po masawata kung anumang oil ang tatagas dito sa barko (The last report we received said that an oil spill boom will be placed to capture any oil that will leak from the vessel),” Balilo said.

On Tuesday, Baybay’s City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) reported 48 fatalities due to the multiple landslides and flooding caused by the storm’s heavy downpour.

Earlier, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the low pressure area dissipated at around 10 a.m.

However, it said scattered rain showers will prevail over Quezon, Bicol Region, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and the Visayas. (PNA)

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