The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services has lowered all public storm warnings as tropical depression \u201cQuinta\u201d moved toward Palawan late Wednesday afternoon.
\nHowever, Pagasa said in its 5 p.m. bulletin that signal no.1 remained hoisted over following areas: Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, Romblon, Lubang Island, northern Palawan, Calamian Group of Islands, Cuyo Island, Marinduque, in Luzon, and Aklan, Capiz, Antique, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, and Guimaras in the Visayas.
\nAs of 4 p.m., the eye of the storm was plotted 90 kilometers east of Coron, Palawan (coordinates: 11.7\u00b0N, 121.1\u00b0E).
\nThe tropical depression was also seen to exit by Thursday evening. It was forecast to be 270 km west of Coron, Palawan Thursday morning and outside the Philippine territory in the evening.
\nBy Friday morning, it is expected to be at 820 km west of Coron, Palawan, Pagasa said.
\nFishing boats and other small sea craft were still advised not to venture out into the seaboards of Luzon and Visayas and over the northern seaboard of Mindanao.
\nNo casualties or serious damage to properties were reported so far, but \u201cQuinta\u201d caused widespread travel disruption Wednesday as major ports were shut down and domestic flights and bus travel to the Visayas and Mindanao were cancelled.
\nAlthough \u201cQuinta\u201d has been downgraded from a tropical storm to a tropical depression after making multiple landfalls in the Visayas, it whipped up rough seas and reduced visibility to nearly zero.
\nDomestic flights of Cebu Pacific, Zest Air and Air Philippines to Caticlan, Virac, Legazpi City and vice versa were grounded Wednesday due to the grim weather.
\nNearly 5,750 passengers and 82 interisland vessels were stranded at Manila\u2019s North Harbor and 11 other major ports in Bicol, the Visayas and northern Mindanao due to \u201cQuinta.\u201d
\nIn a report, the Philippine Coast Guard said on Wednesday that at least 2,550 passengers were stranded in Manila; 939 in Cebu City; 625 in Ozamis City; 454 in Maasin City, Southern Leyte; 300 in Dumaguete City; 223 in Sorsogon; 200 in Cagayan de Oro City; 145 in Iloilo City; 111 in Tagbilaran City; 82 in Catbalogan City, Samar; 75 in Butuan City; and 44 in Dapitan City.
\nEight other passenger and cargo ships, as well as 23 motor bancas, have taken shelter in other ports in \u201cQuinta\u201d-affected areas, the PCG also said.
\nIn Masbate, all ports in the province were shut down and the local Coast Guard said at least 32 passengers were stranded in three seaports.
\nAs of 9 a.m., eight passengers were stranded in Masbate Port in Masbate City, the provincial capital. Six other passengers were stranded in Cataingan Port, some 70 kilometers south of the city.
\nIn Burias Island, one of the three primary islands that compose Masbate province, 18 passengers were stranded in the seaport of San Pascual town, about 100 kilometers north of Masbate City.
\nThe ports of Masbate and Cataingan serve passengers to and from the Bicol mainland, Manila, and Cebu.
\nLeyte
\nIn Leyte, the travel of over 500 people were disrupted since December 25 while around 400 persons were evacuated from various areas in Leyte due to tropical storm Quinta.
\nRecords from the Coast Guard stations in Maasin City in Southern Leyte and in Catbalogan City, Samar, indicated that 572 passengers were stranded since Christmas Day at various terminals.
\nThe stranded passengers and rolling cargoes were reported in the ports of Allen in Northern Samar (50 passengers, 15 cargo trucks and 13 buses), Bato in Leyte (130 passengers and 3 rolling cargoes), Liloan (316 passengers and 17 rolling cargoes) and Benit (76 passengers and 24 rolling cargoes) in Southern Leyte. There were at least eight grounded vessels in the said ports.
\nThe stranded passengers were either bound for Cebu, Bohol or Lipata in Surigao del Norte.
\nIloilo and Caticlan
\nTrips of sea vessels from the ports of Iloilo and Caticlan in Aklan were suspended Wednesday morning, leaving around 1,700 passengers stranded.
\nThe Coast Guard station in Iloilo reported that 1,654 persons were stranded as of 10 a.m. after 20 vessels were not allowed to leave port.
\nLt. Commander Dominador Senador, Coast Guard Iloilo station commander, said travel of fast craft vessels between Iloilo and Bacolod cities was suspended Wednesday after Panay and Guimaras islands were placed under storm signal no. 1.
\nTrips of motorboats plying between Iloilo and Guimaras continued but the number of passengers was limited to 75 percent of the maximum capacity of motorboats.
\nIn Caticlan, Aklan, 48 passengers of roll-on, roll-off vessels (Roro) remained stranded as of Wednesday morning.
\nLt. Commander Terence Alsosa, commander of the Coast Guard station in Malay in Aklan, said six Roro vessels and two fast craft boats temporarily took shelter at Looc Bay in Romblon, around 10 miles from Caticlan.
\nMotorboats plying between Caticlan and Boracay Island were allowed to sail as of 10 a.m. Wednesday, but were also limited to 75 percent of the maximum passengers allowed. Trips would only be until sunset but would be suspended if weather conditions worsened, Alsosa said.
\nWater sports and island-hopping activities in Boracay were called off and tourists swimming at sea were being closely monitored, he said. <\/p>\n