MANILA: The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has announced that there are no longer any stranded passengers in ports across the country following the aftermath of Super Typhoon Pepito, known internationally as Man-yi. The maritime safety advisory released by the PCG as of Monday noon confirmed that all passengers, vessels, rolling cargoes, and motor bancas have resumed normal operations.

According to Philippines News Agency, the number of stranded individuals reached a peak on Sunday, with a total of 3,541 passengers, 1,484 rolling cargoes, 15 vessels, and 17 motor bancas affected in regions such as Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Southern Tagalog, Central Visayas, and Western Visayas. The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) reported only one canceled trip as of Monday noon-the St. Francis Xavier operating the Cebu-Ozamis-Butuan route in PMO NCR North-due to rough sea conditions.

In a radio interview, PPA General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago stated that Matnog Port has resumed regular operations despite the long queues cau
sed by several days of suspensions due to Typhoon Pepito. Santiago highlighted that the number of stranded passengers nationwide during the typhoon was relatively low compared to similar past incidents, attributing this to effective coordination with local government units (LGUs) that facilitated the evacuation of stranded passengers from ports as a precaution against storm surge warnings.

Santiago further reported that two ports, San Andres Port and Virac Port, suffered only superficial damage due to the typhoon. “For example, there is a broken glass door or a lifted roof, but otherwise our ports remain usable in areas hit by Typhoon Pepito,” he remarked, indicating that despite minor damages, port operations were largely unaffected.