PPA expects more passengers in Holy Week despite high fares

The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is expecting that there will be more sea-bound passengers leaving for the provinces this year for the Holy Week despite the fare hike.

In Sandra Aguinaldo’s report in “24 Oras” on Thursday, there are already passengers in North Harbor for the Lenten break. There are some passengers who have already allotted a budget for their trip.

“I’m just taking a chance because I need to attend my child’s graduation. I've been thinking that if the fare does end up increasing, I really need to allot a budget,” said Roselyn Asedellas, who is bound for Cebu.

“I saved up for this trip,” said John Sinano, who will travel to Cagayan de Oro.

Sea fares have increased after domestic shipping lines were allowed to temporarily increase the fuel surcharge by up to 20% due to the mega oil price hike.

The fuel surcharge depends on the distance of the trip.

For instance, one shipping line charges P237 fuel surcharge for Manila-Cebu and Manila-CDO trips. Meanwhile, the fuel surcharge is P30 for the Dumaguete-Dipolog route and two pesos for the Cebu-Tagbilaran route.

“When we were looking at the potential fare increase, we wanted to make sure that our passengers wouldn't feel the impact,” said Francis Chua, business head of 2GO Travel.

Despite the higher sea fare, the PPA is expecting more passengers in sea ports this year from Palm Sunday until Easter Sunday. The estimated passengers could reach up 2.46 million this year, which is higher than the 2.41 million passengers recorded in the same period last year.

The PPA advised passengers to arrive at sea ports four hours before their scheduled departure time.

The agency added that tickets should be purchased from authorized sellers.

Passengers can also reserve their tickets through the newly launched Online Reservation Assistance System (ORAS), which is undergoing a pilot test in Quezon Port.

Passengers who opt to bring their vehicles onboard the Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) ferries, including those carrying agricultural products, will have to pay the one-peso terminal fee.

“That includes those carrying corn, rice, as well as poultry products. It also includes those carrying perishable agricultural products,” said PPA spokesperson Eunice Samonte. — Vince Angelo Ferreras/BAP, GMA Integrated News