Ramil forces cancellation of domestic flights, bus trips

Two domestic flights and several bus trips to northern Luzon were canceled Wednesday in anticipation of the impending arrival of typhoon "Ramil." The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said Cebu Pacific flight 5J 506 from Manila to Tuguegarao in Cagayan province was canceled, as well as its return flight. Weather forecasters have warned that Ramil would directly affect the northern provinces of Cagayan, Apayao and Ilocos Norte. Ramil was spotted at 510 kilometers east-northeast of Aparri, Cagayan at 10 a.m. Wednesday. [See: Signal No. 3 up in 4 areas as ‘Ramil’ moves closer to RP] PAL and Cebu Pacific flights to Roxas, Capiz and Iloilo were also delayed. Baliwag Bus Transit canceled six of its trips to Cagayan for the safety of its passengers. Napoleon Francisco, officer in charge of dispatching the units, was quoted in a radio report as saying they decided to cancel the trips as early as 8 a.m. Francisco said he is still awaiting reports from their personnel in Isabela to know if trips in the province should be likewise canceled. Another bus firm, Victory Liner, said it was not canceling its scheduled trips since Ramil will not be making landfall until Friday. The bus firm, however, stressed that it was in constant coordination with its regional offices to prevent putting the lives of its passengers in danger. The firm said it was trying to prevent a repeat of an incident involving one of its buses that plied flooded roads in Pangasinan at the height of typhoon Pepeng. The Victory Liner bus ended up submerged in flood and its passengers had to be rescued. - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV