Bicol: Nearly 8,000 families across the Bicol Region evacuated as precaution against the impact of Tropical Storm Ramil (international name Fengshen), the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 5 reported on Saturday.

According to Philippines News Agency, OCD-Bicol spokesperson Gremil Alexis Naz said preemptive evacuations were carried out in Albay, Catanduanes, and Masbate, affecting 7,777 families or 21,945 individuals from eight local government units.

In Albay, 4,782 families or 12,677 residents were evacuated from the towns of Daraga (49 families), Guinobatan (2,184), Jovellar (2), Libon (54), Malilipot (2,442), and Pio Duran (51).

In Catanduanes, 2,957 families or 9,135 people were evacuated from the municipality of Baras, while 38 families or 133 individuals from Uson, Masbate also moved to safer areas.

Naz said the OCD is awaiting additional reports from other localities that also carried out preemptive evacuations.

Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development continued to provide assistance to locally stranded individuals in various ports across the region.

At Pio Duran Port, 180 passengers received hot meals on Friday night, while 350 stranded travelers at Tabaco Port were also served dinner.

The assistance, amounting to PHP34,650, was funded by the provincial government of Catanduanes.

According to the Philippine Coast Guard-Bicol, at least 3,622 passengers, 1,072 rolling cargoes, and six roll-on/roll-off vessels remain stranded in the ports of Pio Duran and Tabaco; Mobo (Masbate); Pasacao (Camarines Sur); and Matnog, Pilar, and Castilla (Sorsogon).

Ramil made landfall over Gubat, Sorsogon, according to the 4 p.m. weather bulletin.

It is forecast to continue moving west northwestward over the landmass or coastal waters of Bicol Region until early morning Sunday.

Afterwards, it will pass close or over Polillo Islands in the morning, then make a final landfall in the vicinity of Aurora in the morning or afternoon.

The possibility of landfall over northern Quezon or southern Isabela, instead of Aurora, was not ruled out.