Ports on heightened security alert; ready to serve 57 M passengers

PHILIPPINE Ports Authority (PPA) General Manager Jay Santiago gathered Port Police officials last December 19, 2022 to ensure the safety and security of passengers travelling at the ports during this peak season.

During his port inspection, Santiago warned the Port Police to be honest and transparent during the conduct of their duties since security is one of the dayto-day top priorities.

“I won’t tolerate any unpleasant cases or any maltreatment to continue. If we encounter people who are lost, we should remind and guide them still,” Santiago said.

Santiago assures that the Port Police should be “one call away” during these times. “I hope that you can follow or look up to the good examples of those who went ahead of you who rendered great and excellent service. Though I am supportive of various activities to further improve our delivery of service, I am expecting that you’ll continue to be part in combatting any wrong doings,” Santiago added.

Aside from the more than 200 Port Police Officers wearing body-worn cameras, PPA continues to watch over ports 24/7 all over the country through the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras that are part of the Port Surveillance System (PSS) located at its Head Office in Manila.

The PSS covers 52 PPA sites all over the Philippines and features random viewing capability that operators can control in order to verify reports the PPA management and other offices have received.

“CCTV monitoring is our eyes when it comes to observing thoroughly our ports. Through this, we have a macro perspective of our ports. Because having this added instrument is a help to see beyond what the naked eye could not,” Atty. Diane Steffi T. Guillamon, Head of the PPA Internal Security Affairs Staff (ISAS) said.

Per PPA data, it is expected that the number of passengers will climb to 57 million by the end of December 2022 or a 200 percent increase compared to previous years’ recorded data.

Meanwhile, “Oplan Biyaheng Ayos” and “No Leave Policy” for port employees are currently in effect at ports under PPA to guarantee a safe and sound sea travels this holiday season.