Around 96,000 passengers were monitored in various ports nationwide as Filipinos catch last trips to go to their home provinces for the New Year’s Eve celebration on Tuesday, Dec. 31.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) recorded 51,439 outbound passengers and 44,961 inbound passengers in all ports from 6 a.m. to 12 noon.
“We continue to monitor our ports because we expect that the influx of people who would want to catch the final trips to spend the New Year with their families will continue,” PCG spokesperson Commo. Algier Ricafrente said in an interview over Teleradyo Serbisyo.
He said shipping companies have assured the PCG that they will continue to issue tickets to last-minute travelers as there are sufficient number of vessels operating even during the year-end holiday.
“They can still buy tickets since the operation of the ships continues. The shipping companies will still issue tickets suitable to the passenger capacity of every vessel,” Ricafrente noted.
The PCG warned the public not to buy tickets from port scalpers since it would be too pricy and might also endanger the safety of other passengers.
“Last December 23, joint forces from the Philippine National Police-Maritime Group (PNP-MG) and Philippine Coast Guard arrested two scalpers who took advantage of passengers in Port of Batangas. We are investigating if they have cohorts,” Ricafrente revealed.
Port scalpers are unauthorized individuals selling tickets to passengers to expedite their entry into ports, risking chances of overcapacity in some instances.
“Our personnel are deployed on the ground to conduct pre-departure inspection to ensure that the vessels are not overloaded upon sailing,” Ricafrente said.
Meanwhile, the PCG reminded the traveling public not to bring bulky items when they are traveling to avoid inconvenience.
“If possible, they can just hire the services of trucking businesses to send their bulky packages so they won’t be inconvenienced during their travel,” Ricafrente said.
“Please also refrain from bringing prohibited items such as sharp and flammable objects, as well as fireworks, because it would be a big inconvenience for them and other passengers if these items get inspected and confiscated by our personnel,” Ricafrente said.
The PCG official urged the public to just watch community fireworks display, blow horns or use other noise-makers as an alternative to using firecrackers.
For "fur parents", the PCG advised them to determine in advance what the policy of each shipping company is when it comes to allowing pets onboard vessels so they won't be inconvenienced in case they are prohibited from boarding their fur babies.
Passengers are also advised to check the policy of shipping companies when it comes to transporting meat products as some of them do not allow it.
"There are permits that they need to secure for them to be allowed to bring their meat products because there are certain areas that prohibit the entry of certain meat products," Ricafrente said.