PPA: Some sea trips in the Visayas suspended in light of Mawar

Some sea trips in the Visayas have been suspended to give way to the preparation of the shipping lines for Super Typhoon Mawar, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said Friday.

In separate advisories, the PPA said the suspended trips of Grand Ferries’ Seacat One as well as ALD Sea Transport’s LCT Poseidon 17 at LCT Poseidon 35 are the following:

• May 26, 2023 - from Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte to Lipata, Surigao at 12 p.m.
• May 27, 2023 - from Cebu City to Calbayog City at 2 p.m.
• May 28, 2023 - from Calbayog City to Cebu City at 8 p.m.

The PPA said the suspensions are for the preventive maintenance work on the concerned vessels and preparation for the super typhoon.

The PPA advised affected passengers to coordinate with concerned shipping lines for details.

In its 11 p.m. advisory on Thursday, state weather bureau PAGASA said Mawar has intensified as it approaches the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

PAGASA said the center of the eye of Mawar was estimated at 1,840 kilometers east of southeastern Luzon at 10 p.m., packing maximum sustained winds of 205 km/h near the center, gustiness of up to 250 km/h, and central pressure of 910 hPa.

It is seen to enter PAR by Friday evening or Saturday morning and will be given the local name Betty, it added.

Gov’t is ready

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) spokesperson Assistant Secretary Raffy Alejandro said their efforts are focused on Cagayan, Cordillera, and Ilocos regions due to the threat of Mawar.

“So far, ang talagang tinutukan natin because of this Mawar is Region 2 lalo na Batanes and Cagayan area and of course CAR and Region 1,” he told GMA News’ Unang Balita.

(So far, we are closely monitoring Region 2 especially Batanes and Cagayan area and of course CAR and Region 1 because of Mawar.)

He said they are expecting that preemptive evacuation will be imposed in Batanes and Cagayan areas.

Due to Habagat enhanced by Mawar on Monday until Wednesday, Alejandro said they are also monitoring the situation in Western Visayas and Mindanao areas.

In a worst case scenario, Alejandro said Mawar may cause power outages, destruction of houses made of light materials, flooding and landslides.

In a statement on Thursday, the NDRRMC said the whole government is ready for the possible impact of Mawar.

NDRRMC Executive Director and Civil Defense Administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said the Office of Civil Defense, concerned agencies, and local governments are already monitoring.

“The OCD, agencies of the preparedness and response clusters, as well as the various local government units are also monitoring all areas that may experience inclement weather so that any untoward incidents can be prevented or responded to immediately,” he said.

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) reminded local government units to start preparations.

Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian said family food packs and various non-food items are already in the warehouses of their regional offices across the country.

The DSWD has a total of 1,005,472 prepositioned family food packs and 307,664 prepositioned non-food items, the NDRRMC said.

Regional disaster management councils readied relief stockpiles, conduct of preemptive evacuation, readiness of response personnel, evacuation facilities and other assets, it added. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News