by Martin Sadongdong
The influx of passengers in seaports and terminals is already evident a little over a week before Christmas Day, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.
On Saturday, Dec. 17, the PCG monitored 45,271 outbound passengers and 35,554 inbound passengers in all ports nationwide. The monitoring started at 6 a.m. and ended at 12 noon.
Commo. Armando Balilo, PCG spokesperson, said 2,108 frontline personnel were deployed in 15 PCG districts to inspect vessels in ports. A total of 425 sea vessels and 680 motorbancas were checked by PCG personnel during the six-hour monitoring.
“The PCG has placed its districts, stations, and sub-staions on [a] heightened alert to manage the influx of port passengers during the Yuletide season,” Balilo said.
The heightened alert status took effect last Dec. 15 and will last up to Jan 7.
Meanwhile, the riding public is encouraged to coordinate with the PCG through its official Facebook page or its hotline 0927-560-7729 for inquiries, concerns, and clarifications regarding sea travel protocols and regulations for the holidays.
