SURIGAO CITY (MindaNews/28 June) –The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) cancelled boat trips while the city government suspended classes here Friday due to the strong rains brought by typhoon “Gorio.”
Cebu Pacific Air also canceled a trip bound for Cebu as bad weather prevailed over the city.
Mayor Ernesto Matugas suspended classes of pre-school and elementary pupils due to the strong rains that hit the city starting Friday morning.
The mayor also warned residents living in landslide-prone areas to seek shelter on safer grounds as rains pounded the city.
Eric Gumpal, PCG-Surigao City station deputy commander, said they ordered the cancellation of boat trips plying Dinagat province, Siargao and Bucas Grande Islands due to the hoisting of Storm Signal Number 1.
Gumpal said that passengers of several unregistered banca or small motorized boats in Barangay Sabang in Surigao were ordered to disembark and not to proceed with their trip.
Last June 15, a small boat capsized off Surigao City due to big waves.
Three of its 11 passengers have remained missing.
The boat sailed from Surigao City to Barangay Buenavista, one of the city’s island villages.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) in the city said that Cebu Pacific cancelled a flight bound for Cebu City.
But it was not clear if the plane’s cancellation was due to the bad weather condition, according to Charina Cultura, an employee of CAAP-Surigao, adding the company has yet to inform them of the reason.
Cultura said that Air Philippines Express did not cancel its Surigao-Manila and vice versa flights.
As of 12 p.m. Friday, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration reported in their website that typhoon Gorio was spotted 350 kilometer east of this city. (Roel Catoto/MindaNews)