PCG logs over 907,000 sea passengers as maritime incidents occur during Undas

More than 907,000 passengers moved through Philippine seaports during the Undas holiday period, as the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) responded to several maritime emergencies involving boats, passenger vessels and swimmers. The PCG recorded 907,127 passengers from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1, citing figures reported by the Manila Bulletin. That figure was lower than the 1.5 million monitored during last year’s Undas. Incidents included the partial submersion of the motorized banca M/B Rose Marie 1 near Dalupiri Island in Calayan, Cagayan on Oct. 31; all eight crew members were rescued and assessed. Another event involved the roll-on/roll-off vessel MV Virgen de Peñafrancia II tilting near Real Port in Quezon on Oct. 30, with 40 passengers and 18 crew rescued and oil spill equipment deployed. The PCG also reported rescues of people after a boat capsized off Negros Occidental and swimmers swept away in La Union, and said patrols and search-and-rescue were intensified.