190K passengers monitored in ports

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) recorded more than 190,000 passengers in various ports as of Saturday, aside from the hundreds of thousands expected to flock to the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) until Sunday, as the holiday season officially ends.

On Friday, the PCG logged 192,981 outbound passengers and 187,757 inbound passengers in all ports nationwide.

“Moreover, 2,989 deployed frontline personnel in 16 PCG districts have inspected 1,745 vessels and 2,156 motor bancas,” according to the PCG.

The PCG has placed its districts, stations, and sub-stations on heightened alert from 20 December 2024 to 03 January 2025 to manage the influx of port passengers.

Meanwhile, PITX spokesperson Jason Salvador said they are expecting the influx of returning passengers starting Saturday, 4 January, until early Monday morning.

He advised passengers and motorists to bring with them a lot of patience as traffic and congestion in all terminals are expected during these dates.

Salvador said the PITX expects an estimated 3 million passengers until Monday.

The Philippine Ports Authority earlier said that it expects 674,000 passengers to use government-run ports.