PCG: No maritime incidents reported during Holy Week exodus

No untoward incidents were recorded in seaports so far this Holy Week even as travelers start to return to Metro Manila on Easter Sunday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said that rain poured over certain parts of the country in the past few days, but the sea remained generally calm.

“So far, pagdating sa maritime incidents, wala naman. Ayun nga ang magandang balita. Hindi tayo nagpapakampante, gagawin natin ang lahat ng security measures na inimplement natin papunta, para makauwi nang maayos ang mga kababayan natin at wala tayong maitalang maritime accidents,” he said.

(There are no maritime incidents so far. That’s the good news. But we are not complacent, we will follow the same security measures we implemented when they were departing, so that they could also safely return and we avoid maritime accidents.)

Balilo said a total of 173,000 outbound passengers have been monitored, 152,000 of which were only from Saturday’s records. He said this number may still increase in the coming hours.

From 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Black Saturday, the PCG logged 62,677 outbound passengers and 45,544 inbound passengers in all ports nationwide.

Balilo also said that some seaports experienced slight delays in trips, but these have remained manageable.

No vessels that sailed this Holy Week were overloaded in tems of passengers and baggage, according to the PCG and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

“Kung meron mang mairereport sa atin ay ating kakastiguhin at sasampahan ang personnel natin na magpapabaya sa ganitong klase ng sistema,” Balilo said.

(If there is something reported to us, we will punish and file a case against any neglectful personnel.)

As the Holy Week exodus ends, Balilo said that the PCG’s heightened alert status could ease by Monday, April 1.—Giselle Ombay/RF, GMA Integrated News