ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Strict security in ports as nearly 140,000 travel by sea on Maundy Thursday

Strict security in ports as nearly 140,000 travel by sea on Maundy Thursday

Published Mar 28, 2024 06:53 am

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) implemented strict security measures in ports around the country to secure almost 140,000 travelers who were monitored on Maundy Thursday, March 28.

As of 12 noon, the peak of passenger arrival, the PCG said that a total of 73,282 outbound passengers and 66,331 inbound passengers were recorded in all ports nationwide.

There were 3,608 frontline personnel that were deployed in the frontlines across 15 PCG districts. They have inspected a total of 449 vessels and 1,664 motorboats.

The PCG also fielded Vessel Safety Enforcement Inspection (VSEI) teams to conduct pre-departure inspections to ascertain the seaworthiness and compliance of vessels with existing maritime safety rules and regulations prior to the voyage to avoid occurrence of any untoward incidents.

The PCG activated deployable response groups which perform baywatch patrols for the safety of beachgoers.

The PCG encouraged the public to immediately report any violations pertaining to maritime safety. 

Meanwhile, tourists are also reminded to be extra vigilant, cautious, and attentive to their children to prevent drowning-related incidents.

The PCG placed its districts, stations, and sub-stations on heightened alert from March 24 to 31 to manage the influx of port passengers this Holy Week.

Passenger jumps from ship

But even before the peak of passenger arrival began, the PCG already responded to a maritime incident on Holy Monday, March 26.

The PCG reported on Maundy Thursday that a 16-year-old girl identified as alias “Dolly” jumped overboard from passenger-cargo vessel MV Santa Brigida around 10 a.m. on March 26 while the vessel was en route from Batangas Port to Calapan Port.

The Coast Guard Sub-Station Calapan received the report from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and a rescue operation was immediately conducted.

The victim was later rescued and given medical care.

Initial investigation revealed that the victim was experiencing “family conflict that led to her actions,” according to PCG.

She was released to her relatives after an attending doctor deemed her to be in good health condition.

No bathing in Baseco Beach

The PCG also reminded the public that bathing in Baseco Beach in Manila is prohibited.

Personnel of the Coast Guard District National Capital Region – Central Luzon (CGDNCR-CL) conducted foot patrol with the Philippine National Police – Maritime Group (PNP-MG) in the vicinity of Baseco Beach to drive away residents who were caught bathing there to cool themselves amid the hot weather.

However, the CGDNCR-NL said that there is a high presence of “fecal coliform bacteria” in the waters of Baseco Beach which could harm individuals.

Fecal coliform bacteria are passed through the stool of humans, livestock and wildlife to an individual which can cause various illnesses and diseases such as typhoid fever, hepatitis, gastroenteritis, dysentery, and ear infections.

Related Tags

Holy Week 2024 PCG Maundy Thursday
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.