People heading to their home provinces for the Holy Week break wait for buses at Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange in Parañaque City. (File photo by RICHARD A. REYES / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has reminded sea passengers to avoid last-minute bookings as seaports across the country are expected to swell with travelers during this year’s Holy Week.
In a statement on Wednesday, the PPA said that over two million passengers are expected at ports nationwide during the Lenten Season, which is higher compared to last year’s figure of over 1.8 million.
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The five busiest ports, according to the agency, are Panay/Guimaras/Iloilo, Batangas, Panay/Guimaras/Jordan, Mindoro/Calapan, and Panay/Guimaras/Dumangas, with Holy Wednesday (March 27) and Easter Sunday (March 31) being the busiest days.
In light of the expected volume of travelers, PPA told the public to “plan their trips early and avoid last-minute bookings, which contribute to travel inconveniences and delays, especially during peak seasons.”
To prepare for the influx of passengers during the Holy Week, the agency noted that it had implemented a “full manpower” scheme and a “no leave policy” among its personnel.
“As per GM [General Manager] Jay Santiago’s directive, all relevant department heads were instructed to implement full manning of personnel in port operations and port security frontline services to serve the thousands of passengers,” it said.
“All filed leaves of agency personnel from March 25 to April 1 were also disallowed to ensure the safety, security, and convenience of the public’s travel,” PPA continued.
Infrastructures in some ports across the country are also being expanded to accommodate more passengers.
This includes the extension of Batangas Port’s passenger terminal building, which would increase its passenger capacity from 2,500 to 8,000, as well as the opening of a new passenger terminal building at Dumaguete Port.
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In previous announcements, managers of the land port Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange and airports such as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and those operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines are also preparing for an increase in passenger volume during the Holy Week.