Holy Week Sea Rush Tops 2.4M as Ports Stay on Full Alert

More than 2.4 million passengers have already passed through seaports across the country as the Holy Week travel rush peaks, based on Philippine Coast Guard data released on April 3.

The PCG said the count covered 1,273,272 outbound and 1,169,805 inbound travelers from March 28 to 6 a.m. of April 3. Across nearly 353 ports nationwide, spokesperson Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said the increase was busy but still not as large as authorities initially expected.

Even so, naka-heightened alert ang buong Coast Guard from March 28 to April 5. The agency said it deployed 17,000 personnel nationwide, plus floating assets, while keeping districts, stations, and sub-stations on tighter watch during the annual exodus.

Ports serving Cebu, Batangas, Aklan, Iloilo, and Oriental Mindoro posted some of the heaviest passenger volumes because of their links to tourist spots and homebound travel routes. Inspectors also checked 153 vessels and 70 motorbancas in just one monitoring window on April 3 to make sure overloading would not happen.

The PCG said it is still aiming for zero major maritime incidents this season, although one near-drowning case was recorded in Ilocos Norte involving an intoxicated swimmer who was rescued. For travelers, the message is clear: tuloy ang biyahe, but safety enforcement is staying tight.

Source: https://mb.com.ph/2026/04/03/pcg-logs-24m-passengers-in-seaports-as-holy-week-travel-peaks