PCG: 77,078 passengers monitored in ports on Good Friday morning

A total of 43,776 outbound passengers and 33,302 inbound passengers, or a total of 77,078 passengers, were monitored in all ports of the country from morning to noon on Good Friday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

The PCG also said that 2,710 frontline personnel were deployed in 15 PCG Districts. These coast guardsmen inspected 384 vessels and 1,451 motorbancas to ensure order and passenger safety.

To manage the influx of port passengers during the Holy Week,  the PCG placed its districts, stations, and sub-stations on heightened alert.

According to the PCG, the heightened alert will also cover the summer vacation to serve local tourists traveling by sea until May 31.

The public is encouraged to coordinate with the PCG through its official Facebook page or the Coast Guard Public Affairs (0927-560-7729) for their concerns on sea travel protocols and regulations.

At the Port of Lucena on Maundy Thursday, the lack of maritime vessels bound for Marinduque caused long lines of vehicles and travelers.

At the Batangas Port on Holy Wednesday, long lines of passengers were also seen at the booths because only manual ticketing system was available.

Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) general manager Jay Santiago said the contract for the unified online ticketing system has been canceled so passengers still deal with long lines this Holy Week.

Santiago said he wants to revive the program as it is the “ultimate solution” to the long lines in ports and will also enable passengers to book their trips in advance.

He said some shipping lines are opposed to the unified online ticketing system because they already have their own platform. But, the PPA official said some of these platforms are not working.

Santiago also noted the lack of available vessels to accommodate passengers.

According to him, half of the vessels were decommissioned after being damaged by Typhoon Odette in December 2021. Since then, there have been no additional vessels, he added. —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA Integrated News