CEBU CITY – All ports in Cebu will be on heightened alert from April 2 to April 10 for the Holy Week.
The Cebu Port Authority (CPA) said this is in response to the directive issued by the Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista.
The heightened alert status is meant to ensure the health, safety, security, and comfort of passengers traveling during the observance of the Holy Week, the CPA said.
Anticipating the surge of passengers, the CPA, through the Port Security, Safety, and Environmental Management Department, has finalized all preparations in coordination with all Cebu port management officers and maritime and enforcement partners from the 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, and other agency partners and port stakeholders.
The CPA will deploy additional port police officers starting April 2 in ports with high passenger traffic to enforce port safety and security protocols.
The PDEA will conduct random inspection and K9 sweeping as part of the intensified campaign to interdict drug couriers passing through seaports.
The PCG will deploy bomb-sniffing dogs in port areas and passenger terminal buildings.
The CPA said a total of 345,445 passengers trooped to various ports in Cebu during the Holy Week last year.
The CPA is expecting the figures to double this year as Covid-19 restrictions have eased and the upcoming long weekend.