Over 32,000 travelers crowd ports 5 days before Christmas — PCG
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard tracked more than 32,000 passengers through the country's ports early Friday, December 20, capturing the early influx in sea travel five days before Christmas.
In their first monitoring report for the holiday season, PCG officials counted 20,024 outbound and 12,596 inbound passengers between midnight and 6 a.m.
Coast Guard operations deployed 2,747 frontline personnel across 16 PCG Districts to manage the pre-dawn movement. These teams conducted safety inspections on 172 vessels and 73 motorbancas during the six-hour period to ensure ships complied with maritime safety protocols.
The PCG has placed all districts, stations, and sub-stations under heightened alert status, a measure that will remain in effect from Dec. 20 through Jan. 3, 2025.
Coast Guard personnel will also be on alert in areas where beaches and private resorts will see a surge in tourists, according to PCG chief Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan.
The Philippine Ports Authority earlier said that it estimates more than 4.5 million passengers will travel by sea during the Christmas season. — Cristina Chi
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