CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES — The Cebu Port Authority (CPA) has sought the assistance of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources–7 (DENR-7) and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau–7 (MGB-7) to conduct a Geological Site Scoping in the affected port areas before finalizing plans for the rehabilitation of port facilities in northern Cebu that were damaged by the 6.9-magnitude earthquake on September 30.
CPA General Manager Kit Comendador, along with key CPA officials, met with DENR-7 Officer-in-Charge Eddie E. Llamedo, MGB-7 geologist Josephine Aleta, and CENRO Cebu City representative Franco C. Cedro to discuss the need for a comprehensive geological assessment in the affected ports.
Comendador said the scoping activity aims to assess the geotechnical stability of the port sites and identify potential geohazards before any rehabilitation works commence, to ensure the safety of the public and port users.
In its formal request, CPA highlighted the need for MGB’s immediate technical assistance in evaluating existing site conditions and identifying geological risks that may affect rehabilitation plans and the long-term sustainability of port infrastructure.
The CPA also requested that the assessment include recommendations and mitigation measures based on the findings.
“It is very important that we are guided by the expertise of our colleagues from DENR, especially from the MGB, because there is a genuine concern that, should the hazard assessments reveal critical issues such as soil instability or the unsuitability of locations, these ports may be deemed unsafe for continued operation,” Comendador said in a statement.
He added that it is more practical to identify major geological issues early on, rather than proceed with costly rehabilitation projects that may not be sustainable.
“This could undermine the value of our rehabilitation efforts and, more importantly, put public safety at risk. Sayang unya ang atong i-allocate nga funds for repair and rehabilitation kung dili molungtad ang paggamit. We better know early, so we can look at other alternatives,” Comendador added.
MGB-7 will coordinate with CPA to schedule the site inspection and technical scoping in the coming days.
The results of the geological assessment will serve as a critical basis for CPA’s decision on whether to proceed with rehabilitation or consider relocation or redesign of affected port facilities.
Earlier, CPA declared the Port of Hagnaya generally safe for continued operations after sustaining damage during the said earthquake. However, strict safety measures have been implemented. Among the temporary conditions enforced are:
- Alternate use of the remaining berths by Island Shipping Corporation and Asian Marine Transport Corporation (Shuttle Ferry) as one berthing area remains unusable;
- Use of only the rightmost ramp during high tide for the safe loading and unloading of rolling cargo and passengers;
- Direct loading and unloading of vehicles with no parking or standby allowed within the port premises; and
- Periodic structural inspections, with the possibility of suspending operations depending on findings.
Port operations continue as normal during low tide, with only three early morning trips at 1:00 a.m., 2:00 a.m., and 3:00 a.m. affected during extreme high tide.
CPA has assured the public that these measures aim to ensure uninterrupted and safe maritime transport services at Hagnaya Port, while structural repairs and monitoring are ongoing.
| Written by Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/RAE, (Photo from CPA/Facebook)
