The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said ports nationwide are fully prepared to accommodate the seasonal influx of passengers.
PPA General Manager Jay Santiago said the agency recognizes the importance of holiday travel for families, overseas Filipino workers, balikbayans, and other travelers heading home for Christmas, stressing that the priority is to keep journeys safe, orderly, and comfortable.
Santiago said the PPA has ensured port readiness through adequate personnel deployment and continuous monitoring to guarantee smooth and secure travel for all passengers.
Christmas travel traditionally brings increased passenger movement as families return to their home provinces, complemented by the arrival of OFWs and balikbayans and heightened domestic tourism, resulting in steady activity across major and secondary ports.
To manage the surge, the PPA activated heightened readiness measures, including a no-leave policy for critical port personnel, additional frontline staff in high-traffic areas, strengthened security screening, and round-the-clock monitoring of terminal operations.
Port operations have remained peaceful and orderly, with routine security checks resulting in the confiscation of prohibited items such as bladed objects, fireworks, and flammable materials to ensure passenger safety.
Santiago is also expected to conduct random inspections at PPA-managed ports nationwide throughout the holiday season to personally assess conditions and ensure safety and service standards are upheld.
The annual holiday exodus has also begun at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX), with passenger numbers steadily rising as travelers head to the provinces ahead of Christmas.
Earlier reports said more than 140,000 passengers had passed through PITX as of Saturday afternoon, with terminal management projecting up to three million travelers from December 19 to January 3 amid peak holiday demand.
Meanwhile, three members of Congress have sought an investigation into recurring issues of flight delays, cancellations, diversions, and airfare spikes during peak travel seasons.
Northern Samar Rep. Nikko Daza, 1Tahanan party-list Rep. Nathan Oducado, and Kamanggagawa party-list Rep. Elijah Fernando filed House Resolution No. 596 calling for hearings on flight schedules, ticket pricing, and air passenger protection.
The lawmakers urged the House committee on transportation to review the adequacy of existing policies involving the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, the Civil Aeronautics Board, and the Department of Transportation, saying the probe could help advance proposed legislation on air passenger rights and compensation for delayed and cancelled flights. With Rio Araja
