CEBU CITY – All ports in Cebu were placed on heightened alert starting Friday, Dec. 16, as the Cebu Port Authority (CPA) activated its “Oplan Biyaheng Ayos: Pasko 2022.”

The heightened alert, which will take effect until Jan. 4, is to ensure the health, safety, security, reliability, and comfort of passengers traveling for the Christmas and New Year celebrations, the CPA said.
The CPA said the move to increase security and safety measures is in response to the directive of the Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista.
Earlier this week, CPA convened all port management officers, port security heads, representatives of the maritime and enforcement partners from Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine Navy, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Bureau of Customs (BOC), Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Philippine National Police (PNP) Waterfront Police Station, Mabolo Police Station, and Regional Maritime Unit, other agency partners, and port stakeholders to finalize all preparations for the anticipated surge of passengers.
“Passenger traffic usually surge during the Christmas season that’s why we need to double our efforts in ensuring the safety, security, order, and convenience of the public and prevent overcrowding and heavy queuing inside our ports,” said CPA acting Deputy General Manager Glenn B. Castillo.
The CPA recorded a total of two million inbound and outbound passengers in December 2019 but this was reduced to 304,000 passengers and 650,000 passengers in 2020 and 2021, respectively, due to the travel restrictions imposed during the pandemic.
“Now that we are slowly going back to normal, CPA is expecting an significant increase on passenger traffic before the year ends,” added Castillo.
With the heightened alert status, the CPA will deploy additional port security and port police officers in ports with high passenger traffic together with enforcement officers from PNP, PDEA, BFP, and PCG.
First aid stations and Malasakit help desks will also be activated to provide passenger assistance and support for a wide range of travel needs.