Around 500 passengers were stranded in various ports as sea trips from Bohol were cancelled late Monday due to Tropical Depression Agaton which continued to unleash heavy rains across the province.
According to Seaman 1st Class Ralph Barajan of Philippine Coast Guard Tagbilaran, all vessels supposedly departing from Bohol were grounded after the province was placed under Storm Signal No. 1 at 8 p.m.
“Once naay signal number 1, automatic na cancelled na tanang biyahe,” said Barajan.
He said that 100 passengers were stranded at the Tagbilaran port, 140 in Tubigon, 208 in Talibon and 50 in Jagna.
However, most of the stranded passengers have left said seaports as only a few opted to stay and wait for the resumption of trips.
For his part, Leonard Samar of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that a portion of the storm is expected to be directly over parts of the province by Tuesday or Wednesday.
“Based sa iyang diameter, sud gyud kaayo ang Bohol kay sa atong estimation mo abot ni siya og 415 km ang iyang diameter,” said Samar.
According to Samar, Agaton is projected to make landfall over Caraga at midnight or early Tuesday.
It was last spotted 145 km north northeast of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur packing maximum sustained winds of 45 kph near the center and gustiness of 60 kph, according to a PAGASA bulletin issued at 8 p.m.
Meanwhile, around 126 people in Barangay Valladolid in Loboc were evacuated at around 10 p.m. as water level in the Loboc River rose due to continuous rains brought by the weather disturbance.
Water level was still not at critical level but the residents were transferred to the designated evacuation center inside the Camayaan High School in Loboc as precautionary measure.
“Naa na sa orange level ang color indicator sa suba mao mangandam na dapat ang mga flood-prone barangays,” said SPO1 Joseph Gihuldi of the Loboc Police Station.
Gihuldi pinpointed the villages of Valladolid, Poblacion Ondol, Poblacion Sawang, Jimilian and Alegria as flood-prone areas surrounding the Loboc River.