Holy Week commuters troop to Batangas Pier

Hundreds of sea travelers on Maundy Thursday packed the Batangas Pier for a chance to take an early trip to Mindoro and nearby islands, GMANews.TV learned. The volume of departing passengers peaked at the Batangas port on the first official non-working day to commemorate the Lenten season. Many commuters were bound for Puerto Galera, one of the most visited islands in Mindoro Oriental and known for its white sand beaches and premier diving spots. Coast Guard officials continued to impose strict security measures in line with the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) program "Oplan Kalakbay 2006," which seeks to ease the travel worries of commuters at various transport terminals around the country. Port authorities asked passengers to enter the pier gates by batches to prevent any untoward incident. They also closed the Terminal 3 gate for the orderly entry of passengers. Additional Roll On/ Roll Off (RORO) boats were expected to arrive at the port by 2 p.m. to accommodate high passenger volume. In line with the observance of the Holy Week, the Batangas port management will host the Station of the Cross on the morning of Good Friday. Meanwhile, Coast Guard officials at the Manila North Harbor said Wednesday the volume of sea travelers this Lenten season has apparently dropped. They attributed the decline to big discount promos that commercial airlines have been offering to consumers. Many boats at Manila North Harbor earlier in the week were reportedly departing even though they were carrying passengers below full capacity.-GMANews.TV