Holy Week exodus begins

Over 3M seaport, airport passengers expected

- By AARON RECUENCO, MARTIN SADONGDONG, JEL SANTOS, and ELLALYN DE VERA-RUIZ

Authorities are expecting around three million passengers in various seaports and at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) as Filipinos start the annual Holy Week travel to take advantage of the long holiday break for religious activity, vacation, and bonding with friends and relatives.

The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said they expect 1.73 million passengers in various ports across the country from April 14 to 20 this year, a 3.5 percent increase from the 1.67 passengers recorded last year.

PPA General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago said that in the first three weeks of March alone, passenger numbers have already reached 3,027,881, or an average of 1,009,294 passengers per week.

"For Holy Week, port passenger traffic is expected to peak, nearing pre-pandemic figures, with an estimated 1,729,426 travelers utilized port facilities during the Lenten season," said Santiago.

Based on the PPA analysis, the top five ports this Lenten season include the Port Management Offices (PMO) of Batangas with around 20,000-25,000 daily average passengers during peak season.

The Port Management Office Mindoro is on the second spot with the highest number of expected passengers, PMO Panay/Guimaras still on the third spot as last year, PMO Negros Orriental/Siquijor, and the PMO Bohol on the fifth spot with the most number of passengers during peak season.

Santiago said they already initiated measures in anticipation of the influx of passengers starting Monday as part of the "OPLAN Biyaheng Ayos: Semana Santa 2025." The preparations include the conduct of maintenance checks on critical infrastructure, placing standby generator sets for uninterrupted power supply, water systems, and ventilation to mitigate the effects of El Niño and rising temperatures this Lenten season.