ILOILO City — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Station Iloilo reported zero drowning incidents during the Holy Week rush, underscoring the success of intensified coastal patrols and strict safety enforcement amid a surge of travelers across the province.
As of 12 noon on Sunday, April 5, authorities confirmed that no drowning cases were recorded in Iloilo’s coastal areas, a development officials credited to heightened alert status and expanded personnel deployment at key beaches and ports.
According to ENS El John Ga, spokesperson of PCG Station Iloilo, the absence of incidents was due to intensified visibility and monitoring efforts along the province’s coastlines.
“Because of the heightened alert and monitoring of the Coast Guard, coastal areas in Iloilo were closely supervised by our station,” Ga said.
He added that additional Coast Guard personnel from across the region were deployed to ensure the peaceful observance of Holy Week among travelers and tourists.
“We augmented our personnel to strictly enforce a safe and orderly observance for passengers and visitors,” he said.
Ga noted that monitoring operations remain ongoing, particularly on sea travel and coastal activities.
“As of this time, we are still continuously monitoring coastal areas and sea travel,” he added.
Data from the station showed a higher number of inbound travelers compared to outbound passengers in Iloilo as of noon Sunday, with 3,675 inbound and 2,622 outbound passengers recorded.
Across Western Visayas, the Coast Guard logged 6,532 outbound passengers and 4,184 inbound passengers monitored in various ports from 6 a.m. to 12 noon on April 5 under Oplan Biyaheng Ayos: Semana Santa and Summer Vacation 2026.
The Philippine Coast Guard District Western Visayas reported that 416 frontline personnel deployed across five stations inspected 100 vessels and 61 motorbancas during the same monitoring period.
All Coast Guard stations and sub-stations in the region were placed on heightened alert from March 28 to April 5 to manage the influx of passengers during the peak travel season./PN
