The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) asked shipping companies to deploy more vessels to address build-up of passengers and vehicles especially in major ports across the country.

On Monday, Dec. 22, PPA General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago personally saw the long queues of vehicles and passengers at the Batangas Port in Batangas City during his visit to check on the status of operations.

“The number of passenger vessels is very limited. We are trying to sort that out with Marina and we will also ask help from DOTr (Department of Transportation) Secretary (Giovanni) Lopez on how the Marina and the shipping industries will address this,” said Santiago.

The PPA earlier said they are expecting at least 4.6 million passengers from Dec. 15 to Jan. 5 in various PPA-managed and supervised ports across the country.

And based on the latest data, the number of passengers recorded from Dec. 15 to noontime of Dec. 22 was already at 1,973,127—the bulk of the passenger traffic was on Dec. 20 and 2, with 346,341 and 365,648, respectively.

The passenger capacity of Batangas Port is 21,000 but the number reached around 30,000 on Sunday, Dec. 21.

Christmas travel traditionally brings increased passenger movement as families return to their home provinces to celebrate together. This is complemented by the arrival of OFWs and balikbayans, as well as heightened domestic tourism, resulting in steady activity across both major and secondary ports nationwide.

Port authorities said they expect a huge volume of passengers anew before the New Year, especially that Malacañang announced the work suspension in all government offices on Dec. 29.

And this is the part that intervention is needed for the deployment of more passenger ships to cater to the influx of passengers and eventually address passenger and vehicle build-up in ports.

Despite the concerns, Santiago assured the public that ports nationwide remain ready and well-prepared.

“We understand that holiday travel is especially important for families, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), balikbayans, and individuals heading home for Christmas,” said Santiago.

“The PPA’s priority is to make every journey as safe, orderly, and comfortable as possible,” he added.

To ensure smooth operations, Santiago said they already hoisted heightened readiness measures, including a no-leave policy for critical port personnel, additional frontline staff in high-traffic areas, strengthened security screening, and continuous monitoring of terminal operations to maintain passenger safety and comfort.

“Port operations have so far remained peaceful and orderly, with no major incidents reported. Routine security checks led to the confiscation of prohibited items such as bladed objects, fireworks, and other flammable materials, all in the interest of protecting the traveling public,” said Santiago.