Stranded passengers rose to more than 400 presently on standby at the Caticlan jetty port in mainland Malay, Aklan due to Typhoon “Glenda.”
Caticlan Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)-Boracay Chief Petty Officer Ronnie Hiponia said stranded passenger already reached a total of 403 from 330 passengers they have in their list since Tuesday.
These stranded passengers were on board the Roll on, Roll off (RoRo) vessels bound for Roxas, Oriental Mindoro when the PCG in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro ordered the cancellation of trips of all vessels since Monday morning following an advisory from the weather bureau.
The different bus firms also extended proper accommodation to their stranded passengers as they waited for their voyage once the inclement weather normalizes.
The PCG-Boracay also said 47 rolling cargoes and six RoRo buses were lined up at the jetty port since Monday evening.
Despite the absence of storm signal in Aklan, rough seas and strong waves in Mindoro have prompted the PCG-Boracay to stop the voyage of all sea-going vessels from leaving the Caticlan jetty port.
But motor bancas catering to passengers going to Boracay are allowed to ply under the special trip agreement between motor banca operators and PCG, using the Tambisan and Tabon jetty ports in mainland Malay as alternative route.
Coast Guard authorities keep watch on the number of passengers riding on board the motorbanca and see to it that they are wearing the required life jacket as part of the safety measure with the prevailing inclement weather.
Around 11:00 p.m. Tuesday, the PCG-Boracay ordered trips of all motorbancas going to Boracay cancelled as Glenda battered Southern Luzon provinces and other areas in the Visayas region that stranded some 37 foreign tourists at the Caticlan port while on their way to the island-resort.
While on heightened alert status, the PCG-Boracay likewise cancelled all activities including swimming in beaches in the island resort due to strong waves brought by Typhoon Glenda.
