photo: PPA

Authorities recorded a significant increase in the number of passengers that travelled through seaports and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) during this year’s long Holy Week break compared to the same period in 2024.

The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) for instance recorded almost 2.3 million passengers from April 12 to 20, the passenger traffic surpassed the projected 1.7 million travelers in seaports for this year.

PPA General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago said the number of seaport passengers this year is 37.14 percent higher compared to 1,670.984 passengers last year.

Santiago attributed the increase to the effective tourism promotion, as well as improved port operations as a result of the infrastructure investments to accommodate more passengers and ensure efficient port operations.

“We in the PPA are also aggressively promoting local tourism through our #PPAsyalTayo, a campaign that shows tourist destinations that are accessible by our ports,” said Santiago.

“Through the improved port operations, our kababayan could now reach tourist destinations that were not reachable before,” he added.

Based on the PPA data, Easter Sunday has the most number of passengers with 376,736 followed by Holy Wednesday with 333,330 passengers; and, Holy Thursday with 313,998 passengers.

Among the Port Management Offices (PMOs) with the highest number of passengers were: PMO Batangas, PMO Panay/Guimaras, PMO Mindoro, PMO Negros Oriental/Siquijor, and PMO Bohol.

According to Santiago, these PMOs managed high passenger throughput across their areas of responsibility, especially during peak travel days such as Holy Wednesday and Holy Thursday.

At NAIA too

The New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) recorded around 1.17 million passengers from April 13 to 20—the figure represents a 12.7 percent increase from the same period last year.

In a statement, it revealed that the highest single-day volume was recorded on Easter Sunday, with 156,635 passengers, while the daily average for the week stood at 146,611.

Both international and domestic travel posted double-digit growth, with international passenger traffic up 11.21% and domestic up 14.19% year-on-year, it added.

Peaceful

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said the observance of the Holy Week is generally peaceful as it has not monitored major untoward incidents that disrupted the week-long religious tradition.

PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil said the security measures they prepared were effective in ensuring the safety of the travelers from the major thoroughfares to their destinations and back to their workplaces and homes.

“While the rest of the nation was on break, you were on duty. Because of your vigilance and presence, the entire observance of Holy Week was generally peaceful, with no major incidents recorded,” said Marbil.

The PNP has mobilized over 68,000 policemen to secure the Holy Week break. It also placed all police forces across the country under heightened alert.