Bicol ferry services on

LEGAZPI CITY — Ferry services in Bicol ports resumed yesterday, elating thousands of stranded passengers, as tropical storm "Zigzag" weakened into a low pressure area.

Avelino Fortuna, regional deputy commander of the Coast Guard, said they lifted the ban on ferry services after they got an official weather forecast that "Zigzag" no longer posed a threat to seagoing vessels.

The passengers stranded in the ports of Matnog, Pilar and Bulan, all in Sorsogon; Virac in Catanduanes, Masbate and Tabaco City shouted in jubilation upon hearing about the resumption of ferry services as they looked forward to celebrating the New Year in their hometowns.

By yesterday afternoon, Fortuna said all stranded passengers must have resumed their trips.

Authorities kept a tight watch on "Zigzag" as it prevailed over Bicol and Eastern Visayas, fearful that it might cause landslides as what recently befell remote villages in Southern Leyte where about 200 people were killed. — Cet Dematera, Celso Amo