Passengers at Batangas Port take advantage of calm before Holy Week rush

Thousands of passengers opted to travel on Monday to avoid the expected Holy Week rush at Batangas Port, which is expected to be crowded until Maundy Thursday, April 17.

In Dano Tingcungco’s Monday report on “24 Oras,” about 5,000 passengers traveled via Batangas Port, a volume that was over the usual 1,000 passenger count during ordinary Mondays.

However, today’s number still falls behind the passengers who traveled to Odiongan, Romblon on Sunday.

According to some shipping lines, trips to Romblon are still available as of Monday morning.

Batangas Port manager Joselito Sinocruz urged the public to secure their trips as early as they can since it is better for the management to know if additional ships are needed.

Port officials said they have already secured a shipping line that will deploy more ships should it get a special permit, but the deployment still depends on the number of passengers.

“Pag hindi namin na count ahead of time, kahit i-mobilize mo yung barko, ma-dedelay ang alis ninyo. Kung bibyahe kayo, let us know, let us feel na nandyan kayo para yung barko maantabay kaagad na makabiyahe,” Sinocruz said.

(If we’re unable to count ahead of time, even if you mobilized the ships, the trips will still be delayed. If you are planning to travel, let us know, let us feel you are here so that we can prepare the ships for your travel.)

Trips to Caticlan, the entry point to Boracay Island, are fully booked until Wednesday, April 16.

While trips from Batangas to Roxas City via Sibuyan, Romblon are fully booked until Saturday, April 19. —Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News