The Coast Guard District Southern Visayas (CGDSV) has encouraged passengers and other stakeholders to report critical safety concerns as sea travel peaks during the Holy Week.

“The CGDSV encourages the public to remain vigilant and actively support maritime safety through its reporting platform,” it said in a notice yesterday.

In line with the Philippine Coast Guard’s Intensified Community Assistance, Awareness, Response, and Enforcement (iCARE), it is promoting the “See Something, Say Something” — “‘Pag May Nakita, e-Sumbong” platform.

Notices have been posted by the Coast Guard stations and sub-stations in Northern and Southern Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.

Through iCARE, the Coast Guard aims to enhance public awareness by informing passengers and stakeholders of critical safety concerns.

These include overloading, proper listing of passengers’ names in the manifests, and identification of suspicious activities.

The Coast Guard also seeks to ensure awareness of emergency exits and safety procedures, verification of vessel condition before departure, the presence of authorized and uniformed crew, conduct of safety briefings and the proper use of life-saving devices.

“The CGDSV calls on all members of the community to take part in this collective effort. A simple act of awareness and reporting can save lives and protect our environment,” it said.

As part of the Oplan Biyaheng Semana Santa and Summer Vacation 2026, all Coast Guard districts, stations, and sub-stations are on heightened alert until April 5 to ensure the safety and security of passengers traveling by sea.

For the Oplan Biyaheng Ayos Monitoring as of March 31, 6:00 p.m., the CGDSV has deployed 501 personnel.

They inspected 12 vessels, 31 motorbancas, 12 rolling cargoes, as well as logged 4,790 outbound passengers and 4,276 inbound passengers. (PNA)