Coastguard Station Davao commander Restituto Concio said that their office is preparing for the Christmas season through OPLAN LIGTAS BIYAHE by increasing the number of security personnel in all harbors and ports.
“We are expecting a heavy influx of passengers going to Samal and Talicud Island,” Concio remarked.
He added that the coastguard would not allow boats to travel in case of excess passengers or overloading.
The CSD would also check the availability of lifesaving equipment in the boats and if these are registered with their office.
“We will make sure that the safety requirements are accompanied by certificates validated by Marina.
For added safety, Concio also pointed out that their office is in the process of registering all maritime vessels, including small boats to regulate the entry of maritime vessels in Davao. All boats in all coast guard districts would have a serial numbering system to monitor their entry.
However, this is still a proposal. “There is already a memorandum circular passed to the Philippine Coastguard office in Manila,” said Concio.
He added that Davao City is already beginning to use the system under Marina.
According to him, there are 10 boats for the sea-riding public bound for Samal however they also monitor more boats to cater diving and island hopping bound for Kaputian and Talicud island from Sta. Ana wharf. Most of the boats in Davao City are registered under Marina.
For the Christmas season, Concio calls out to the public to avoid boarding unregistered boats. He also asked the public to report boats who carry excess passengers. He said that the coastguard prohibits this to ensure that each passenger has access to a life-saving equipment in case of maritime emergency.
Other small boats would take advantage of passengers who were not able to ride their charter boats, according to him. He warned that these boats do not have safety certificates from Marina and do not have life jackets, therefore making these boats risky for travel.
Yung ibang maliliit na boats nagcollorum so sakay na lang ang ibang pasahero doon so they take chances. Yun walang safety cert from marina and walang life jackets so risky.”
“Please bear with the coastguards,” Concio mentioned. He said that all piers are required to conduct inspections to avoid terroristic attacks. This is joint with Task Force Davao and Philippine National Police Maritime Units.
