Cebu, other Visayas airports spared from quake damage

The Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), Cebu’s major gateway, continued normal operations on Wednesday after inspections showed that its runway was not damaged after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake shook the province on Tuesday night, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) said.

In its latest situational report, the Caap also said other airports in the three regions in the Visayas were not damaged after the earthquake—its epicenter traced in Bogo City in northern Cebu—struck at 9:59 p.m. Tuesday.

Less than an hour after the quake, passengers were evacuated from the MCIA terminal but were later allowed to enter the building after inspection and assessment.

According to the Caap, the MCIA’s tower cab equipment and tower structure were not damaged from the quake.

The Caap, meanwhile, reported a power outage at the airport.

The aviation authority also said their initial inspection and assessment showed that there was no earthquake-related damage reported in Calbayog Airport (Samar), Hilongos Airport (Leyte), Maasin Airport (Leyte), Ormoc Airport (Leyte) and Tacloban Airport (Leyte) in Eastern Visayas region.

Tourism advisory

Inspection of the runway of the Bacolod-Silay Airport in Negros Occidental province was done on Wednesday.

“PAL (Philippine Airlines) and Cebu Pacific flights from Manila were temporarily held for landing while runway inspection is ongoing. Safely landed after they were given safe-to-land clearance,” according to the Caap.

Meanwhile, the Department of Tourism (DOT) has cautioned the public against visiting tourist destinations in parts of Cebu province hit by the earthquake.

“Tourists are advised to confirm the status of destinations before traveling. Several tourist sites in affected areas may be closed while safety inspections are ongoing,” the DOT said in an advisory on Wednesday.

Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco flew to Cebu on Wednesday to assess the situation on the ground and check on the well-being of tourism workers affected by the quake.

Frasco, a former mayor of Liloan, Cebu, said she also ordered the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza), the DOT’s implementing arm, to inspect historical churches in the towns of Daanbantayan, Bantayan, Tabogon and San Remigio and other tourism-heavy areas in Cebu City to guide the department on the next steps to protect the tourism industry and the visiting public.

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Aside from Tieza, the tourism chief also coordinated with DOT regional directors as well as airport and port officials to find out the status of tourism gateways.

“These assessments will guide the next steps to ensure safety and provide appropriate support,” she said in a statement.

Cebu, a top tourist destination in the country, is home to centuries-old heritage sites, including Catholic churches built during the Spanish colonization.

According to reports, among those damaged by the earthquake were the Archdiocesan Shrine of Santa Rosa de Lima in Daanbantayan and Parroquia de San Pedro Apostol on Bantayan Island.

The DOT asked earthquake-affected tourists and industry workers to reach out to the following contact information should they need assistance: Hotline 151-TOUR (8687); mobile number 09542533215 and the live webchat of the DOT on its website (www.tourism.gov.ph).