DoTr suspends land, sea trips to Visayas and Mindanao due to 'Bising'

MANILA - Land and sea trips to Visayas and Mindanao via Matnog Port and other ports in Region V have been suspended starting 12 noon Friday, due to the possible threats of typhoon Bising, the Department of Transportation said.

“The DOTr advises trucking/logistics companies and buses not to proceed or postpone their planned trips in order to avoid long queues at Matnog, Sorsogon, to Daraga, Albay,” DoTr said in a statement.

• ‘Bising’ is now a typhoon: PAGASA

The department said the suspension was made upon the request of the Office of the Civil Defence in Region V and approved by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council-Emergency Operations Center (NDRRMC-EOC).

“Moreover, the DOTr orders its attached agencies in the Maritime and Road Sectors, namely the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the Land Transportation Office, (LTO), and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to immediately enforce the said travel suspension,” it stated.

State weather bureau PAGASA said in its first severe weather bulletin issued as 11 a.m. Friday that Bising has intensified into typhoon category but is less likely to make landfall.

Bising was last spotted at 10 a.m. at 960 kilometers east of Surigao City, Surigao del Norte packing maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 160 kph.
 
The weather disturbance will bring rough to very rough seas as high as 4.5 meters over the eastern seaboards of Visayas and Mindanao within 24 hours, the weather bureau added.