Passengers in ports breach 100K on Holy Wednesday — PCG

A total of 119,898 passengers were monitored in all ports nationwide from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Holy Wednesday, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

In a statement, the PCG said 64,179 were outbound passengers while 55,719 were inbound passengers.

This is higher compared to the 34,000 passengers recorded from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m., representing 19,979 outbound passengers and 14,462 inbound passengers.

Inspections were conducted on 639 vessels and 1,077 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 Holy Week can reach the PCG through its official Facebook page or the Coast Guard Public Affairs Service at 0927-560-7729.

At Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, air-conditioned buses were nearly fully booked, according to a report by Jonathan Andal on Balitanghali.

Extra buses will be deployed to accommodate more passengers, with trips scheduled later in the evening.

As of 10 a.m., around 40,000 passengers had entered the terminal, with a surge of passengers expected in the afternoon or evening.

At Cebu South Bus Terminal, around 15,000 to 30,000 passengers were expected to arrive, according to a separate report by GMA Regional TV Balitang Bisdak’s Alan Domingo.

The management of the terminal assured that there were enough buses. 

At Batangas Port, long lines of vehicles have already formed around the area, according to a report by GMA Regional TV Balitang Southern Tagalog’s Paul Hernandez.

There were also long lines of people buying tickets inside the port. Despite the influx of passengers, the Philippine Ports Authority-Batangas said tickets were still available for trips until Good Friday.

Around 13,000 passengers have been recorded at the port, but the number may balloon to 20,000 in the afternoon.

At Baliwag Bus Terminal, around 20,000 people were expected for trips to Nueva Ecija and Bulacan.

The management said the terminal would operate for 24 hours, according to a report by Jun Veneracion.

Extra buses were also on standby to accommodate more passengers.

At the North Luzon Expressway-Balintawak Toll Plaza, cash lanes were increased from three to five, according to a report by Sandra Aguinaldo.

Motorists who paid in cash were around 60,000.

At Tarlac Toll Plaza, the number of booths was also increased to speed up the transaction with motorists. — VBL, GMA Integrated News