A TOTAL of 305 passengers were affected when the Philippine Coast Guard issued a notice temporarily suspending sea trips to areas placed under tropical cyclone warning signal (TCWS) no. 1 due to the typhoon Bising, Saturday morning, April 17, 2021.

Mary Knoll Lague, Cebu Port Authority public relations officer, said 286 passengers received refunds for their tickets after the 8:30 a.m. trip from Danao Port to Camotes Island, which is under Signal No. 1, was canceled.

As of 1:27 p.m. of Saturday, there were no stranded passengers reported at Pier 3 in Cebu City, although there were seven passengers bound for Cagayan de Oro who were waiting to board their boat, she said.

Also canceled were trips to Masbate (via Island Shipping from Hagnaya Port in San Remigio); Camotes and Ormoc in Leyte (from Pier 1 in Cebu City); Hilongos, Baybay, Bato and Palompon in Leyte; Dipolog; and Surigao.

The Coast Guard Station (CGS) Central Cebu temporarily suspended sea trips to Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Samar, Biliran, Southern Leyte, Camotes Island and Leyte in the Visayas.

The CGS Central Cebu, in a notice on Saturday, however, said trips can resume when the weather and sea conditions improve.

Jhomer Eclarino, weather specialist at the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration Mactan Station, said the weather condition in Camotes Island and in Northern Cebu will remain critical until Monday afternoon, April 19, while the rest of Cebu will experience light to moderate with occasional heavy rains.

As of 4 p.m., on Saturday, the eye of typhoon Bising was located 480 kilometers east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar with a maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometer per hour (km/h) and gustiness of up to 240 km/h.

Pagasa placed Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, and Samar in the Visayas and Catanduanes in Luzon under Signal No. 2, while Biliran, Leyte, Southern Leyte and Camotes Island, along with other areas in Luzon and Mindanao, were placed under Signal No. 1. (WBS)