PCG: Over 34K passengers monitored in ports on Holy Wednesday morning

More than 19,000 outbound and 14,000 inbound passengers were monitored in ports across the country early morning of Holy Wednesday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

“On 27 March 2024 (12MN to 6AM), the PCG monitored 19,979 outbound passengers and 14,462 inbound passengers in all ports nationwide,” the PCG said in a statement.

Inspections were conducted on 218 vessels and 56 motorbancas, according to the PCG.

To manage the influx of passengers, the PCG placed its districts, stations, and sub-stations on heightened alert status from March 24 to 31.

Seafaring public who have inquiries, concerns, and clarifications regarding travel protocols and regulations during the Holy Week can reach the PCG through its official Facebook page or the Coast Guard Public Affairs Service at 0927-560-7729.

PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said the operations of ports have been smooth so far but they are expecting throngs of passengers around afternoon.

"Ini-expect po talaga natin itong Wednesday lalo na iyong mga RoRo ports both sa eastern at saka western seabords ay yun po ang kakapal ang dami ng tao," he told Super Radyo dzBB in an interview.

(We really expect more passengers this Wednesday, especially in RoRo ports in the eastern and western seaboards.)

"Pati po yung Central Visayas at Eastern Visayas ay binabantayan natin na hanggnag mamayang hapon ay tataas ang maritime traffic," he added.

(We are also monitoring Central Visayas and Eastern Visayas where the maritime traffic is expected to increase until tomorrow afternoon.)

More personnel were deployed in stations to check ships to avoid overloading of passengers, according to Balilo. The PCG is also monitoring small boats.

Additional trips are available in Batangas and Mindoro ports to accommodate more passengers, he added.

At Batangas Port, the peak of passenger influx is expected on Holy Wednesday, according to a report of GMA Regional TV Balitang Southern Tagalog’s Paul Hernandez on Unang Balita.

Some of the passengers allotted an allowance of up to 7 hours  to secure a trip to the respective provinces.

On regular days, around 20,000 passengers are recorded daily at the port. On Holy Tuesday, around 17,000 passengers were reported.

At a bus terminal in Cubao, Quezon City, extra buses will be deployed to cater to more passengers as some trips have already been fully booked for the Holy Week, according to a report of James Agustin.

“Nagdagdag po sila ng buses. Kumuha na special permit para sa karagdagang biyahe mamaya kasi inaasahan namin na mamaya hanggang bukas daragsa yung mga pasahero,” bus dispatcher Donato Joves said.

(They added buses. They secured special permits for additional trips later because we expect that later until tomorrow there will be an influx of passengers.)

Meanwhile, the number of vehicles along the North Luzon Expressway- Balintawak Toll Plaza is expected to increase by 10%.

At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport - Terminal 3, some passengers arrived early in the morning ahead of their flight to avoid the heavy traffic expected during the Holy Week exodus, according to a separate Unang Balita report by Bam Alegre.

Heavy traffic is expected to build up going to the terminal later in the afternoon. —KBK, GMA Integrated News