Cebu ports on heightened alert for All Saints, BSKE

CEBU CITY – With the expected influx of passengers, all ports in Cebu will be on heightened alert with the activation of “Oplan: Biyaheng Ayos.”

The heightened alert started on Friday, October 27, and will end on November 5, the Cebu Port Authority (CPA) said.

PASSENGERS in Pier 1, Cebu City have started to swell as thousands are expected to travel for the long weekend. (Photo from MyTVCebu)

Last Friday, 51,963 passengers, 20,648 arrivals, and 31,315 departures were recorded in CPA-operated ports in Cebu.

“In Day 1 of ‘Oplan’ last year 2022, passenger monitoring was only around 6,000. This year reached 51,000 because of the long vacation,” said CPA.

Thousands of passengers are expected to travel because of the long weekend as the country will hold the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on October 30 and All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day on November 1 and 2.

The CPA said that the 10-day heightened alert status is meant to ensure the safety and security of all passengers who will be traveling to their provinces for the long weekend.

“As early as the start of October, we have already coordinated with our partners from Cebu’s maritime sector and enforcement agencies in preparation for the expected surge of passengers ahead of the barangay and SK elections and Undas 2023,” said CPA General Manager Francisco C. Comendador III.

CPA has deployed additional port security personnel in all ports in Cebu to ensure a secured, reliable, convenient, and uninterrupted port operations.

For the duration of the Oplan: Biyaheng Ayos, passenger traffic is expected to exceed 500,000, surpassing last year’s average of 30,000 passengers daily and totaling approximately 250,000 for the entire Undas 2022, CPA said.

Comendador reminded the public to book their tickets in advance to avoid heavy queuing outside the port area and being taken advantage of by scalpers who resale boat tickets at inflated prices.

Malasakit Help Desks and first-aid stations were activated in passenger terminals to attend to various passenger concerns.

All port management offices were directed to ensure that all booths, counters, and centers serving passengers are properly manned during operating hours.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) will conduct random inspections and K9 sweeping as part of the intensified campaign to interdict drug couriers passing through seaports.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will deploy bomb sniffing dogs in port areas and passenger terminal buildings (PTBs).

“Rest assured that we are doing our best to help ensure that we have a safe and peaceful elections and observance of Undas 2023 in the ports of Cebu,” Comendador said.