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Thursday, June 10, 2004
Typhoon brings a lot of rain; people stranded
By Garry A. Cabotaje & Gingging A. Campaņa
With Allan I. Varquez & Elias O. Baquero
CEBU CITY -- At least 1,280 passengers were stranded in Cebu after the Coast Guard (CG) barred all light seacraft from sailing, while tropical depression Gener dumped rains throughout the province.
Local officials braced for landslides or floods, as Cebu was placed under storm signal number one, but no heavy damage was reported at the end of the day.
The bad weather caught Cebu by surprise and halted classes. But by nightfall, Gener weakened into a low-pressure area and the public storm warning signals were lifted from Cebu, Bohol and 15 other areas.
A total of 76 small seacraft, including the Oceanjet and Supercat ferries, were prevented from leaving port, said Senior Chief Petty Officer Lemuel Alquiza, CG Cebu deputy chief.
Vessels that weighed 1,000 gross tons or less were barred from sailing.
These light vessels were docked in the ports of Cebu City, Hagnaya in Medellin, Sta. Fe in Bantayan Island, Camo-tes and Toledo City, Alquiza said.
Majority of the affected seacraft were bound for Bohol, Leyte, Samar and Negros Island, he added.
The CG took no chances after an accident last month in the wake of typhoon Dindin.
A motorized banca, carrying 158 people from Ormoc City, had capsized in the rough seas off Pilar in Camotes Island, killing eight passengers, including two children.
Sea travel is expected to proceed as usual today, after Gener weakened into a low-pressure area after crossing northern Cebu.
Gener's maximum sustained winds near the center dropped from 55 to 25 kilometers per hour.
As of 4 p.m., when the weather bureau issued its last bulletin for Gener, the weather disturbance was located off the eastern coast of Panay Island.
But earlier in the day, as heavy rains poured, the Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council (CCDC) and the Association of Barangay Councils were kept busy monitoring critical areas.
Councilor Gerardo Carillo called for a 24-hour watch during an emergency meeting with barangay officials, the City Government's Department of Social Welfare and Services and the City Health Department.
The council tasked the barangay officials to monitor mountain bara-ngays in case of landslides and the structures near riverbanks and other waterways, in case of floods.
Carillo requested the barangay captains to clear all the sports complexes in their communities so these could be used as evacuation centers for those who might be displaced by the heavy downpour.
City Hall's 42 multi-cabs and other emergency vehicles were on standby.
"The welfare and health departments closely coordinated and took care of supplies and medicines, just in case," he told reporters Wednesday.
Apart from Cebu and Bohol, the 17 areas placed under storm warning signal number one included Panay, Guimaras, Samar, Biliran, Leyte, Mindoro, Romblon and Surigao.
Because of Gener, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) failed to hold a meeting in Bohol to trace fake taxi franchises.
The weather though, won't stop the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 from filing today criminal and administrative charges against some LTO and LTFRB officials in connection with the fake franchise.
NBI 7 Director Reynaldo Esmeralda said they found out that the papers used in the issuance of fake franchises are LTFRB forms.
"The LTFRB personnel who received the accountable forms must explain why these forms were used in the issuance of fake franchise," Esmeralda said.
LTO 7 Director Alex Leyson said the meeting, which was scheduled Wednesday and today in Tagbilaran City, was aimed to discuss measures to trace fake franchises and to stop illegal public utility vehicles in Region 7.
(June 10, 2004 issue)
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