PAGASA: Skip bus, sea travel in storm-affected areas

UPDATED 12:15 p.m. - If possible, skip travel by bus or sea vessels on Monday, especially in areas affected by tropical storm "Pedring" (international name: Nesat), the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Monday. "Advisory: To people taking the bus for piers under Storm Warning Signals, please refrain from doing so. Avoid being stranded in the pier," PAGASA said on its Twitter account. Sea travel In a separate advisory, PAGASA urged travelers taking ferries and roll on/roll off (RORO) vessels to skip their trip for now, if they can afford to do so. "If you can skip your travel, skip it. In areas with storm signals, ferries and ROROs will not be allowed travel," PAGASA said. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) disallows sea travel by vessels weighing less than 1,000 tons in areas under Storm Signal No. 1. Sea travel for all vessels is banned in areas under Storm Signal No. 2. Precautions against 'landfalling' cyclones Meanwhile, PAGASA reminded the public to take precautions against "landfalling" cyclones such as Pedring. As of 4:00 a.m. Monday, PAGASA said Pedring was estimated at 260 kilometers (km) east northeast of Virac, Catanduanes, with maximum sustained winds of 110 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 140 kph. PAGASA said Pedring is forecast to move west northwest at 17 kph and is expected to be 180 km northeast of Baler, Aurora by Tuesday morning. By Wednesday morning, it is expected to be 110 km west of Sinait, Ilocos Sur. By Thursday morning, it is expected to be 480 km northwest also of Sinait, Ilocos Sur. NDRRMC: Nearly 100 persons stranded in Luzon Radio dzBB's Manny Vargas said at least 96 passengers were stranded in major ports in Bicol and Southern Luzon. Citing PCG figures, radio dzBB 55 persons were stranded in Tabaco (Albay), 20 in Catanduanes, and 21 in Lucena (Quezon). Bicol was one of the regions feeling the early effects of "Pedring," with Catanduanes, Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur under Signal No. 2 and Albay and Sorsogon under Signal No. 1 as of Monday morning. In Albay, classes were suspended while 21,547 families or 111,930 people from Libon, Oas, Polangui, Malinao and Rapu-Rapu towns were ordered evacuated. - VVP, GMA News