W. Visayas among ports with most passengers

By: Gail T. Momblan

WESTERN Visayas is second among major ports in the Philippines that catered to sea travelers during the recent holidays.

Based on a report of “Oplan Ligtas Biyahe” by the Philippine Coast Guard, 35,226 outbound passengers were recorded in Western Visayas ports as of Dec 31, 2018.

Topping the list with the most number of passengers is Davao with 43,861.

Cebu catered to 23, 950; Northern Samar with 10,188; and Batangas with 9,292.

Lt. Commander Ramil Palabrica, PCG-6 spokesperson, said passengers in the region were mostly bound for Bacolod and Guimaras.

Iloilo has the most number of outbound passengers in Western Visayas with 26,580. Aklan follows with 7,180; Capiz with 1,094; and Antique with 372.

Palabrica said this is not a new thing as Western Visayas has always been on Top 5 of ports with most number of passengers even in the past years

“Naga-contest-contest lang kita sa Cebu kag Batangas. Last year, daw Batangas ata ang damo sang outbound tapos Cebu,” he said.

According to him, a port was opened in Davao in 2018 which resulted in the spike in passengers in the area.

Palabrica added “Oplan Ligtas Biyahe” was effective as no maritime incident was recorded during the holiday rush.

“Sa subong waay sing na-record man nga contraband. Sa previous (2017) may na-recover nga firearms,” he added.

Nationwide, the PCG inspected 3,021 motorized bancas and 1,432 vessels.

The coast guard will continue its monitoring until January 5 to ensure the safety of passengers.