EXECUTIVE Assistant Joemarie Vargas, who heads the Bacolod City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, on Friday said the city is safe from being hit by Typhoon Ompong but their monitoring and operation continue on a 24/7 basis.
He said the city will experience moderate to heavy rains but there is not even a threat of flood considering the volume of rainwater from the mountain to the lowland down to the sea are not that big.
But he still asked everyone to take the precautionary measures.
The eye of the storm is too far from Bacolod City but “we are still praying and hoping that everyone will just be safe especially in areas that Ompong is showing its strength.”
No sea trips
The Philippine Coast Guard Bacolod Sub-Station commander PO1 Louie Campaner on Friday said all their decisions insofar as boat operation at the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corporation (Bredco) port will depend on the weather report issued by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
On friday morning, all commercial sea vessels traversing Bacolod to Iloilo and vice versa continued their operation.
But late in the afternoon, there was already some cancellation of trips for small ferries.
PCG in Negros Occidental issued a gale warning suspending all fast craft trips starting yesterday, September 15, due to typhoon “Ompong.”
Lieutenant Commander Lodovico Librilla, head of PCG-Negros Occidental, said yesterday they are on full alert status since Thursday.
Librilla said they were informed by PCG-Iloilo that trips of small vessels from Iloilo bound to Bacolod and vice versa have been cancelled.
Only roll-on roll-off (Roro) vessels are allowed to travel, he added.
However, he said that there is a possibility that trips of big vessels will also be suspended depending if a typhoon signal will be issued by the state weather bureau.
Librilla said he already directed all personnel of PCG substations in the province and in Bacolod City to be on alert and to intensify their monitoring in ports and coastal areas.
He said they have not received any maritime-related incidents as of Friday.
"We keep on monitoring the situation of all ports in the province," he added.
Flights cancelled, too
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) in Bacolod-Silay airport confirmed that some flights were cancelled Saturday.
CAAP air traffic services chief Engr. Himelie Fernandez said Cebu Pacific has cancelled its flights due to the typhoon.
Among the affected local destinations were Bacolod, Manila, Tuguegarao, Cauayan, Virac, Basco, Naga, Cebu, Iloilo, Tacloban, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Dumaguete, and Puero Princesa while the cancelled international flights were Hong Kong, Singapore, and Macau.
The airline company, on its advisory, has urged passengers not to proceed to the airport but instead avail themselves of the following options, without penalties: 1) rebook; 2) put the cost of the ticket in a travel fund for future use; 3) or get a full refund.
Meanwhile, Fernandez said they have no information yet if flag carrier Philippine Airlines will also cancelled their flights.