PCG: Over 60,000 passengers at PH ports on Maundy Thursday

Philippine Coast Guard personnel guard a seaport terminal in Manila. The Philippine Coast Guard recorded over 60,000 passengers at ports all over the country on Maundy Thursday, April 17, alone. — Inquirer file photo

MANILA, Philippines — More than 60,000 passengers in ports nationwide have so far been recorded by the Philippine Coast Guard (PGC) on Maundy Thursday.

In a situation report on Thursday, the PCG said the total number of port passengers recorded from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. on April 17 was at 60,366.

Of this number, PCG said 30,295 are inbound passengers while 30,071 are outbound passengers.

To ensure the safety of passengers, PCG said it has deployed 4,831 frontline personnel in 16 PCG Districts which have also inspected 245 vessels and 97 motorbancas.

“The PCG has placed its districts, stations, and sub-stations on heightened alert from April 13 to 20 April to manage the influx of port passengers,” it said.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said they are expecting a significant surge with a 3.5 percent increase in passengers from 1.67 million last year to more than 1.7 million in 2025 from April 14 to April 20.

READ: Passenger traffic at seaports up 10%

PPA General Manager Jay Santiago earlier noted that they are anticipating a substantial increase in passenger volume in 2025, compared to the same period last year, as more Filipinos take advantage of sea travel to visit their provinces, pilgrimage sites, and vacation destinations during Holy Week.