SANTA MAGDALENA, Sorsogon 鈥� At least 10,000 passengers bound for Visayas spent Christmas day on the roads of Matnog town in Sorsogon as vessel trips have been delayed due to bad weather.
Achilles Galindes, media relations officer of the Philippine Ports Authority Bicol, told the Inquirer on Wednesday, Christmas Day, Dec. 25, that significant delays were observed due to rough sea conditions brought about by the shear line.
鈥淭he long queues of passengers were due to the slow turnaround passenger vessels because of the weather condition,鈥� Galindes explained.
Galindes added that passenger vessels had difficulty passing through the San Bernardino Strait due to 鈥渢urbulent waters.鈥�
Hundreds of vehicles, including cargo trucks, were stuck on the 13-kilometer stretch from Barangay (village) Sisigon to Matnog port.
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Meanwhile, Galindes stressed that port operations remain normal despite the delays of trips.
The Philippine Coast Guard in Sorsogon has not issued a travel suspension despite the prevailing heavy rains.
At least 13 roll-on, roll-off vessels have been sailing during the holiday rush, with 23 to 25 departures per day. These numbers are significantly lower than the ideal 30 departures daily, according to Galindes.
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In its 11 a.m. advisory, the state weather bureau issued an orange rainfall warning in Sorsogon, anticipating at least 100 to 200 millimeters of rain.
The same rainfall warning has also been placed over Aurora, Quezon, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, and Catanduanes.