Thousands stranded but no travel casualties
Thousands of passengers were stranded while a few sea vessels ran aground as Supertyphoon “Uwan” (international name: Fung-wong) battered large parts of the country, authorities said on Monday.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that 7,213 passengers, truck drivers and cargo staff remain stranded on Monday morning across 156 ports in 10 regions.
Also stranded were 3,663 rolling cargoes, 171 vessels, and 28 motorbancas, while 541 boats and 185 motorbancas took shelter, the PCG added.
Sea travel was suspended after tropical cyclone wind signals as high as Signal No. 4 were hoisted in parts of Luzon and the Visayas due to the typhoon.
The PCG said the highest number of stranded passengers was in the Bicol region, with 2,590 individuals, while hundreds others were in ports in Western, Central and Eastern Visayas.
In addition, four sea vessels ran aground in waters off Antique, Batangas and Palawan.
PCG civil relations deputy commander Capt. John Barrameda said there were no casualties from the incidents or any threat of an oil spill from the vessels.
No major damage
On the other hand, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) said no major damage was reported in airports.
In a statement, Caap said only minor damage were observed in ceilings, roofs, glass panels, and perimeter fences of some airports, as well as temporary disruptions to power and connectivity.
Operations in the following airports have been temporarily suspended for clearing operations: Bulan and Bacon Airports in Sorsogon, Sangley Airport in Cavite, Plaridel Airport in Bulacan, Iba Airport in Zambales and Subic Bay International Airport in Subic Bay Freeport.
On the other hand, the following airports have resumed normal operations: Bicol International Airport, Masbate Airport, Naga Airport, Virac Airport and Daet Airport all in the Bicol region, and Cauayan Airport in Isabela.
Caap said Baguio Airport has also reopened although flights remain suspended until further notice due to poor visibility caused by heavy rains.
Toll-free
Private transport firms also removed toll fees for marked government vehicles routed for relief and recovery operations in affected areas. This was in response to the government’s appeal to ensure that assistance reach typhoon victims across Luzon and the Visayas regions faster.
San Miguel Corp.’s infrastructure arm announced the waiving of toll fees in Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx), Metro Manila Skyway, Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway (NAIAx), South Luzon Expressway (SLEx), and Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR).
Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. also offered free access to its expressway subsidiaries North Luzon Expressway (NLEx), Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), NLEx Connector, Manila-Cavite Expressway (CavitEx), and Cavite-Laguna Expressway (Calax). Its toll infrastructure in Visayas region, Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway Corp., also lifted its toll fees, especially with Cebu being one of the hardest-hit of the previous typhoon.
Effective Nov. 9, the Philippine Ports Authority also removed the collection of roll-on and roll-off terminal fees from rescue vehicles.
Damaged bridge
It also ordered that these vehicles be given priority in the queue and loading process.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has also called on domestic airlines to allot free cargo space to transport relief goods to areas affected by Uwan.
The DOTr has ordered the damage assessment of a Philippine National Railways (PNR) bridge connecting Barangays San Rafael and Maipon in Guinobatan town, Albay province.
The DOTr said the damage resulted in the temporary suspension of the Naga-Legazpi route, which serves around 400 passengers daily.
It instructed the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to increase the number of public utility vehicles plying the area to accommodate affected passengers.
The PNR will also conduct an inspection and assessment of the entire Bicol commuter train route to ensure that no other structures were damaged. —REPORTS FROM KEITH CLORES, GILLIAN VILLANUEVA AND NAMI PADILLA
