Holy Week rush drives 231K through WV ports

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Philippine Coast Guard Western Visayas (PCG-6) recorded 231,427 passengers at ports across the region during the Holy Week monitoring period from April 1 to 5.

Of the total, 117,272 were outbound passengers and 114,155 were inbound.

In its April 5 morning monitoring report, PCG-6 logged 6,532 outbound and 4,184 inbound passengers, and inspected 100 vessels and 61 motorbancas.

Earlier reports showed heavier passenger movement. On the afternoon of April 1, PCG-6 recorded 15,698 outbound and 14,609 inbound passengers. On April 2, the figures were 15,816 outbound and 11,360 inbound.

PCG-6 placed its stations and sub-stations on heightened alert from March 28 to April 5 in anticipation of the Holy Week and summer travel surge.

During the same period, 416 frontline personnel deployed across five Coast Guard stations conducted inspections of vessels and motorbancas operating in the region’s ports.

PCG-6 reported no maritime incidents during the Holy Week period.

Meanwhile, two teenagers drowned and one child was rescued from near-drowning in separate river incidents in Iloilo during the break.

In Maasin, a 9-year-old girl was rescued after nearly drowning in a river in Barangay Daja on the morning of April 4.

The girl was swimming with a cousin when she struggled after reaching a portion of the river too deep for her to stand. Police said she did not know how to swim.

Her uncle immediately pulled her to safety, and she was rushed to a hospital where she was reported in stable condition.

In Pototan, a 16-year-old student drowned in a river in Barangay Cansilayan on the afternoon of March 31.

The victim was among nine minors who had gone to the river to swim, with five of them crossing to deeper water. Two got into difficulty, but only one was rescued by companions.

Search and rescue operations were suspended that evening and resumed the following morning. The victim’s body was recovered past 7 a.m. on April 1.

In Janiuay, a male teenager, believed to be 14 or 15 years old, drowned in a river in Barangay Bongol on the afternoon of April 2, Maundy Thursday.

The victim drowned after wading into a deeper portion of the river while swimming. Police reports indicated that he and his companions had allegedly been drinking liquor before entering the water.

He was brought to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival at around 6 p.m.