The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will go on a heightened alert from Dec. 13 to Jan. 6, 2025 in anticipation of increased maritime travels for the Christmas season.

Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, PCG commandant, instructed all coast guard districts, stations and sub-stations to intensify security and safety measures in all ports and ferry terminals during the 25-day period so that travelers will have a safe, smooth, and convenient sea transportation.

“Our kababayans have long been waiting for this season to spend quality time with their families and loved ones, either at their home provinces or in various vacation spots. Thus, we are anticipating and preparing for the high volume of maritime traffic,” he said.

“We conduct 24/7 monitoring of nautical highways routes, especially in the Visayas where most tourist destinations are located. Rest assured, we will ensure maritime security and safety on our western and eastern seaboards, including inter-island routes. Our deployable response groups and the PCG Auxiliary (PCGA) are ready for these operations,” the coast guard chief added.

The western seaboard monitoring includes Batangas, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Aklan, Iloilo, and Zamboanga regions while the eastern seaboard monitoring covers Manila, Bicol region, Samar, Leyte, and Surigao provinces.

Many Filipinos often go to their home provinces or famous tourist spots to spend the holiday break. Last year, the PCG recorded 130,000 passengers in all seaports across the country on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24.

In preparation for this year’s Christmas rush, Gavan said coast guardians were directed to ensure the orderly operations of sea transport facilities, convenient travel of the seafaring public, peaceful celebration of Christmas, and security of tourists in beach and private resorts nationwide.

He urged all the PCG personnel to exercise vigilance when inspecting passengers and luggage to ascertain travel safety and security. He said medical teams shall be ready to assist during any emergencies.

He said K9 units and security teams shall also conduct strict inspections in passenger terminals and on board ships to ensure safe and convenient port operations while foot patrol in maritime tourist destinations shall be intensified to augment lifeguards and first responders for enhanced public safety.

The PCG has also collaborated with the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) to tighten vessel safety and security inspections on board vessels.

“We have safety inspectors in port terminals, law enforcement teams in strategic tourist vacation spots, patrol teams in critical vicinity waters, and deployable response groups on standby for additional security augmentations and rescue missions, as the need arises,” Gavan said.