THE one and a half day cancellation of trips of fastcraft and roll-on, roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessels at the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp. (Bredco) port in Bacolod City due to Tropical Depression Auring has resulted to about P4 million worth of revenue opportunity losses.
Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, was placed under Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal Number 1 from Sunday to late Monday morning that left hundreds of passengers in the province stranded.
Sea vessel trips resumed only after the weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) lifted the storm signal in the province around 11 a.m. Monday, January 9.
Frank Carbon, operator of Weesam Express, said the three fastcraft vessels plying Bacolod to Iloilo, and vice versa can cater to an average of 5,500 to 6,000 passengers daily.
Carbon said the figures can be translated into an income opportunity of at least P1 million.
For Ro-Ro, four vessels including the one in Barangay Banago can accommodate about 1, 500 passengers per day.
Ro-Ro vessels that cater to more cargoes than passengers have also incurred about P2 million in revenue opportunity losses for almost two days.
“Although there are no fuel expenses due to cancellation of trips, we still have to cover our fixed costs like salaries of personnel and electricity expenses, among others,” Carbon said.
He added that “opportunity losses are like perishable goods which can no longer be recovered.”
Aside from sea vessel operators, other businesses in Negros and Panay Islands were also affected by the cancellation of trips.
Carbon cited that non-delivery of products, especially perishable commodities, have surely brought losses to local businessmen.
To avoid influx of stranded passengers at the port, the public are advised to listen to weather advisories through news, or call shipping firms to check on the status of trips.