Travelers at Batangas Port start heading to provinces ahead of Holy Week exodus

A number of travelers over the weekend started to head to the provinces via the Batangas Port in anticipation of the influx of passengers in the coming days due to the Holy Week break.

The Batangas Port on Sunday evening reported some 15,000 departing and 5,000 arriving passengers, with its operator now coordinating with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) to issue special permits to add more trips and increase their frequency.

“Kung hindi mababawasan ang pasahero ng tatawid papuntang Odiongan, tuloy tuloy ‘yan na parang kulang tayo ng isang barko palagi hanggang Huwebes Santo,” Batangas Port manager Joselito Sinocruz said in a report by Dano Tingcungco on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” on Sunday.

(If there will not be a decrease in the number of passengers heading to Odiongan, it seems that we will be a ship short until Holy Thursday.)

A number of passengers at the port said they were surprised with the large number of people to Mindoro, Romblon and the Visayas on Sunday.

Some passengers lined up on Sunday so they could get tickets for trips that would be leaving in the afternoon of the following day.

This comes as more passengers are expected later this week, as Malacañang earlier declared April 17, Maundy Thursday, and April 18, Good Friday, as regular holidays, and April 19, Black Saturday, as a special non-working day.

The same situation was reported at the Manila North Port, with heightened security as high alert status was declared across transport facilities around the country.

There were four shipping lines that MARINA did not allow to go on trips during the Holy Week, due to violations such as having no life jackets, and damaged sirens. Officials are now closely monitoring for colorum trips.

“Sana ano, huwag na natin gawin ‘yun kasi very risky ‘yung ganyan, at your own risk po ‘yan sa mga kababayan natin,” DOTr secretary Vivencio “Vince” Dizon said in a separate report on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend.”

“Sinusugal nila ang buhay nila kasi siyempre, unang una, ‘pag ka kolorum, walang insurance ‘yan. Wala silang makukuhang kahit ano kung may mangyari,” he added.

(Hopefully they do not do that because it is very risky, and that is at your own risk for our countrymen. They are gambling with their lives because firstly, colorums do not have insurance. They will not receive anything if something happens.) —Jon Viktor Cabuenas/RF, GMA Integrated News