Between 170,000 and 200,000 travelers are expected to pass through seaports on Sunday as the long holiday break comes to an end, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
PCG spokesperson Commodore Algier Ricafrente said that the trips across all seaports in the country are continuous to cater to all passengers going back to Metro Manila or to their respective provinces before work and classes resume on Monday.
“Base sa ating statistics last year, ay tinitignan natin na around 200,000 na pasahero or around 170,000 to 200,000 ang mga pasahero ang ine-expect natin sa ngayong araw,” Ricafrente said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.
(Based on our statistics last year, we are expecting around 200,000 passengers or between 170,000 and 200,000 passengers today.)
“Marami rin tayong kababayan na will take the opportunity na i-maximize ‘yung kanilang bakasyon lalong lalo na ‘yung mga estudyante na karamihan sa kanila ay bukas pa talaga ‘yung umpisa ng balik ng pasukan,” he added.
(Lots of people are also expected to maximize their vacation, especially the students, as most of them will return to school tomorrow.)
As of Friday, January 3, the PCG said it monitored 192,981 outbound passengers and 187,757 inbound passengers in all ports nationwide.
The PCG placed its districts, stations, and sub-stations on heightened alert from December 20, 2024 to January 3, 2025 to manage the influx of port passengers at the country’s seaports.
Ricafrente said that amid the influx of passengers returning from the holidays, the PCG will ensure that vessels will not exceed the authorized passenger capacity and load limit.
“Ang kagandahan naman nito ay despite the similar number of vessel na naka-deploy do’n sa mga area ay tuloy-tuloy ang biyahe. Kumbaga hindi na nila kailangan sundin ‘yung kanilang schedule. Basta ‘pag dumating sila at sila na ang naka-on queue ay mag-load na kaagad sila. ‘Pag natapos sila mag-loading ay pinapayagan na rin natin silang maka-biyahe para mabilis,” he said.
(The good thing about this is that despite the similar number of vessels deployed, the trips are continuous. Passengers don’t even need to follow their scheduled trip. As long as they arrive at ports and are on queue, they will be allowed to load immediately and proceed with their trip.) —KG, GMA Integrated News
Be the first to comment