Over 25k passengers flock to ports day before Undas 2023 — PCG

MANILA, Philippines — More than 25,000 outbound passengers headed to ports a day before the start of this year's Undas, the Philippine Coast Guard’s monitoring showed.

From Tuesday midnight to 6 a.m., the PCG monitored 25,243 outbound passengers and 22,226 inbound passengers in all ports nationwide. 

Many Filipinos travel to their home provinces during Undas to be with relatives or to other places for a vacation.

To ensure safety in all ports nationwide, the PCG said it has deployed more than 3,000 personnel across 15 districts.

It added that it has also inspected 258 vessels and 202 motorbancas, according to a statement.

The PCG earlier placed its districts, stations, and sub-stations on heightened alert from October 5 to November 6 to manage the expected surge in port passengers for this year’s Undas.

PCG Commandant, CG Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan has also tasked PCG personnel with round-the-clock monitoring of nautical highway routes, “especially in the Visayas where most tourist destinations are,” the PCG said in a statement last week. 

“Rest assured, we will ensure maritime security and safety in our western and eastern seaboards, including inter-island routes. Our deployable response groups and the PCG Auxiliary will be ready for these operations," Gavan said.

The PCG’s western seaboard monitoring includes Batangas, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Aklan, Iloilo and Zamboanga regions, while areas in its eastern seaboard monitoring covers Manila, Bicol region, Samar, Leyte and Surigao provinces.

All Saints’ Day on November 1 and All Souls’ Day on November 2 have been declared as special non-working holidays.