Table 7. Inbound and Outbound Passengers, March 2019 and March 2020

Table 7. Inbound and Outbound Passengers, March 2019 and March 2020

Seaports

Panay/Guimaras

Fort San Pedro Iloilo Commercial Port Complex Iloilo River Wharf

Inbound Passengers

March 2019 March 2020 % change Outbound

Passengers March 2019 March 2020 % change

11,271 25,231 123.86▲ 12,605 11,564 8.26▼

89,992 44,188 50.90▼ 88,410 40,198 54.53▼

Terminal Port - Aklan Dumaguit Terminal Port – Antique (San Jose de Buenavista) Terminal Port – Capiz (Culasi) 6,423 2,411 62.46▼ 6,610 2,761 58.23▼ Terminal Port – Guimaras (Jordan) 5,269 14,254 170.53▲ 6,275 21,597 244.18▲ Terminal Port – Iloilo (Dumangas) 68,801 40,907 40.54▼ 65,140 39,066 40.03▼ Other Government Ports 2,291 712 68.92▼ 3,234 1,000 69.08▼ Private Ports 995 316 68.24▼ 951 375 60.57▼

Negros Occidental

Banago Port (baseport) 10,224 3,669 64.11▼ 7,308 2,540 65.24▼ Danao Port (terminal port) 922 1,005 9.00▲ 957 946 1.15▼ San Carlos (terminal port) 37,087 17,807 51.99▼ 40,278 17,983 55.35▼ Cadiz LGU (other government port) 2,421 1,051 56.59▼ 2,492 985 60.47▼ Paco Beach (other gov’t. port) 3,238 795 75.45▼ 3,571 840 76.48▼ Sagay (other gov’t port) 443 1,743 293.45▲ 532 1,588 198.50▲ Barcelona (private port) 10,088 10,957 8.61▲ 8,547 10,637 24.45▲ BREDCO (private port) 158,638 73,753 53.51▼ 146,459 61,477 58.02▼ F. Yap (private port) 2,880 1,636 43.19▼ 1,790 1,258 29.72▼

Source: Philippine Ports Authority

Added health and sanitation precautions were imposed. Passengers had to contend with the new protocols being imposed in the ports such as observance of quarantine protocols and physical distancing which delayed passenger boarding resulting to long queues of vehicles and inbound and outbound passengers. Even so, there were setbacks in the implementation of quarantine protocols. These include breach in shipping company's procedures for persons boarding the vessels, and shipping companies allowing their crews to disembark despite strict directives from port authorities of no disembarking.

Strict border control caused port congestions. The extension of a vessel’s stay in port resulted to low berth occupancy rate. Also, the delays in turnaround time of delivery trucks resulted to non-withdrawal of cargoes by shippers/consignees.

Suspension of rehabilitation projects due to lack of manpower and construction materials.

PPA suspended the implementation of ongoing projects because of the restrictions imposed on the movement of personnel and construction workers as well as the delivery of materials as a consequence of the imposed quarantine.