NEWS

PPA logged 2M passengers during Lenten exodus

Raffy Ayeng · Apr 2, 2024, 6:52 PM

ON ALERT. A Philippine Coast Guard troop checks passengers at the Balingoan Port in Misamis Oriental province on Wednesday 27 March 2024. The PCG is working with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) to address the expected influx of passengers in maritime gateways for the Holy Week. — Photo courtesy of PCG

More than two million passengers coursed through ports during the Lenten Season exodus was logged by the Philippine Ports Authority, improving more than 200,000 compared to the same period last year.

According to the PPA, a total of 2,066,036 passengers used PPA-governed ports from 22 March to 2 April, a significant increase in number of passengers from 1.87 million last year.

Of those said dates, PPA also monitored passenger traffic across key ports.

The top five port management office and their corresponding numbers during this period are PMO Mindoro with 213,036 passengers; PMO Batangas (212,515); PMO Panay/Guimaras (205,704); PMO Negros Oriental/Siquijor (183,963), and PMO Bohol with 178,726 passengers.

Other PMOs that gathered the greatest number of passenger traffic include PMO Davao, Marinduque-Quezon, Surigao, Bicol, and Western Leyte/Biliran.

According to PPA general manager Atty. Jay Daniel Santiago, the huge number of passengers based on the data collected during the said period reflects more individuals utilizing maritime transport services after the pandemic, reaffirming the critical role of the PPA in ensuring efficient and secure port transportation during the peak travel season.

Santiago also commended the recently concluded overall peaceful and safe exodus of passengers during the Holy Week period, a testament to the robust planning and execution by the authority a month earlier than the peak season.

However, he said that despite the success of the port operations, PPA is not exempted from some challenges encountered during the Holy Week exodus that were swiftly addressed by the agency’s personnel.

In particular, issues such as inadequate online booking or advance booking were identified and managed to ensure smooth operations.

“Primarily, the foremost problem we saw is the ticketing system. Because most shipping lines lack electronic or online ticketing systems, there is no assurance that all our kababayans will surely secure tickets when they arrive at their respective ports. So, they will still endure the long queues. That remains a challenge,” GM Santiago said.