Coast Guard on bay patrol for Holy Week

In anticipation of the crowd expected to flock to Manila Bay during Holy Week despite a ban on swimming in its polluted waters, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said it would deploy divers and other rescue personnel to ensure the safety of bathers.

PCG spokesperson Commander Armand Balilo said on Sunday that their personnel would “patrol the bay on board at least two inflatable rubber boats and two aluminum vessels.”

The patrol area covers the coastline of Manila Bay from the US Embassy to the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex, he said.

“The security and safety of those swimming in the bay are our main concerns,” Balilo, who also heads the Coast Guard’s public affairs office, told the Inquirer.

Saying the PCG was aware of Manila City Ordinance No. 3827 which bans swimming in the bay, he clarified that enforcing the regulation was not their function.

“Instead, the safety and security of people swimming at Manila Bay are our main concerns,” he added.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources and health officials have repeatedly warned that the bay is not suitable for bathing or swimming, citing the presence of large amounts of fecal coliform virus which can be found in human waste.

The Manila City government, for its part, explained that the dirty bay water was due to the dumping of garbage and other waste materials being done by commercial and business establishments in the area.

Many Manila residents, however, swim in the bay during Holy Week as they consider it a free alternative to expensive resorts in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces.

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard reminded those traveling by sea this week not to take “fly-by-night” or colorum interisland vessels, noting these do not offer insurance coverage to passengers. Most of them also have defective life rafts and vests, it added.

As early as two weeks ago, the Coast Guard placed on “heightened alert” its 11 districts, 70 stations and 274 detachments nationwide, stressing the need to ensure the safety of thousands of Filipinos leaving for the provinces to observe the Holy Week.