PCG boosts passenger safety for the holidays

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is on heightened alert status as they expect the influx of passengers in seaports for the yuletide season.

Captain Weniel Azcuna, district commander of Coast Guard District Western Visayas, in a media interview, said that the whole PCG is now on red alert status following the bombing in Marawi City that killed four people early this month.

With this, Azcuna said the national headquarters has directed all PCG units to be on heightened alert status.

Azcuna said that they have observed an increase in the number of passengers in ports a few days before Christmas Day, but it’s still quite manageable at this time.

He said that Coast Guard personnel were deployed to ensure the safety of passengers going in and out of their provinces.

He also said that they are ensuring that vessels are safe for sailing and checking the number of passengers to prevent overloading.

Aside from that, he said that they also have an ongoing collaboration with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to address concerns in the fight against illegal drugs.

“Rest assured, I have given instructions to all station commanders na paigtingin ang kanilang operations against illegal drugs,” he added.

Azcuna was here last Thursday for the bloodletting drive at the Ayala Malls Capitol Central, which aims to boost the available blood supply of the Philippine Red Cross which could be used for the medical needs of the residents of Negros Occidental and in this city.