MANILA, Philippines - The queue of trucks at the Matnog Port in Sorsogon waiting since last week to board ships bound for Northern Samar stretches to over a kilometer due to the heavy influx of passengers visiting the provinces for the holidays, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said yesterday.
PCG spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said that PCG personnel have been experiencing a “totally different situation” in Matnog Port due to the large volume of passengers.
“I was told that the operations were normal except for the long lines of trucks reaching one kilometer. We are prioritizing the perishable goods and relief goods that are needed on the other side. It is only when the number of passenger buses and light passenger vehicles dwindle do we allow cargo trucks to be loaded,” Balilo said.
“We at the maritime cluster also see an increase in the number of passengers. And this year is really different, more so with people choosing RoRo (roll-on and roll-off) ships as alternatives ways (if they have) difficulty in booking a flight or buying bus tickets,” he added.
As of 7 p.m. of Dec. 26, more than 72,000 people have boarded ships and traveled to different destinations, the PCG said.
The PCG also received reports of a big volume of passengers at the Roxas Port in Oriental Mindoro headed to Iloilo City. The situation worsened when one of the vessels had to undergo maintenance.
As a result of the congestion, some of the passengers had to wait for up to eight hours before they were able to leave the port.
Balilo explained that while the PCG has received numerous complaints about the slow-paced process in clearing departing ships, the agency would never sacrifice safety and security.
“We would not compromise even if it means that we would not allow them to board the ships,” he said.