A total of 419,727 passengers were monitored by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in all ports nationwide during its 12-hour monitoring on Monday, Dec. 30, ahead of the New Year’s Eve.

The PCG said that 58,423 outbound passengers and 53,084 inbound passengers accessed various ports across the country from 6 a.m to 12 noon.

Meanwhile, there were 38,089 inbound and outbound passengers in all ports from 12 midnight to 6 a.m.

The PCG deployed 2,925 coast guard frontline personnel in 16 PCG districts to ensure that all vessels traveling in the country’s ports are safe and in good condition.

During the period, the PCG inspected 655 vessels and 878 motorboats in ports, all of which were compliant with pre-departure clearance.

In comparison, the PCG monitored 419,727 inbound and outbound passengers during its whole-day inspection on Dec. 29.

The PCG’s daily monitoring of port passengers covers four six-hour intervals: from 12 midnight to 6 a.m.; 6 a.m. to 12 noon; 12 noon to 6 p.m.; and 6 p.m. to 12 midnight of the following day.

The PCG has placed its districts, stations and sub-stations on a heightened alert from Dec. 20 to Jan. 3 to manage the influx of port passengers.

No quake damage in ports

Meanwhile, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said no port management office (PMO) in Northern Luzon was damaged after an earthquake struck Ilocos Norte on Monday morning.

A magnitude 5.6 quake jolted Ilocos Norte at 10:56 a.m., with the epicenter located 15 kilometers northwest of Burgos town.

“Wala namang naitalang pinsala sa mga pasilidad ng PMO Northern Luzon gaya ng Ports of Salomague at Currimao (No damage was recorded in the facilities of PMO Northern Luzon such as Ports of Salomague and Currimao),” the PPA said.

“Agad na lumikas ang mga empleyado ng PMO upang maiwasan ang anumang insidente na maaaring maging sanhi ng lindol (Employees of the PMO immediately evacuated to avoid untoward incidents that may be caused by the earthquake),” it noted.