Coast Guard on full alert ahead of Holy Week

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Every year, the number of passengers by sea goes up by 30% during the Holy Week, says the PCG public affairs chief Commandant Armand Balilo

EXODUS. The Philippine Coast Guard says it's ready for the mass exodus of Filipinos to the provinces for Holy Week. File photo by Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines – With the Holy Week approaching, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) announced that its units nationwide will be on full alert by Friday, March 27, to ensure the safety of passengers traveling by sea to visit their home provinces.

Commandant Armand Balilo, chief of Coast Guard Public Affairs Office, said on Monday that, every year, the number of passengers by sea goes up by 30% during the Holy Week.

“Yearly, [sea] travel starts‎ on the weekend before the Holy Week. Majority of them would go home on Friday. During the Holy Week, [fewer] people travel,” he said.

To ensure the safety of the passengers and the seaworthiness of the vessels, the PCG said it will conduct inspections in ferry terminals to make sure there will be no overloading of vessels.

“The instruction of Commandant [Rodolfo Isorena]‎ is to coordinate with shipping lines and sea marshals,” Balilo said.

To manage the expected influx of passengers, Balilo said the PCG would fill up the big ships by March 27 to 29.

Passengers traveling from Matnog (in Sorsogon) to Allen (in Samar) and from Roxas City, Capiz, and Caticlan (Aklan) to Iloilo will take the roll-on, roll-off vessels.

Travelers may also seek help from the PCG’s Public Assistance Desks at the ports. – Rappler.com

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