Daily passenger volume at coastal ports in Basey, Samar has risen sharply to around 3,600 since May 15, as travelers avoid the San Juanico Bridge due to new load restrictions, local authorities reported Monday.
To manage the surge in maritime traffic between San Antonio village and Tacloban City, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) boosted its Basey substation.
Five passenger boats now ferry commuters every 15 minutes, each carrying 120 to 150 people. Passengers are charged P50 per trip.
“After being stranded two days, we moved here when we saw the new route online,” trucker Jonathan Deborja, 35, among 100 vehicles queued at Amandayehan village’s roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) port, said.
Santa Clara Shipping Lines launched a temporary Tacloban-Amandayehan route on May 17. However, port authorities noted that the Samar terminal still needs infrastructure upgrades to support increased operations.
The restriction on vehicles over three tons, imposed following engineering assessments of the San Juanico Bridge, has caused significant traffic congestion, particularly on the Leyte side of the bridge.
“The boat is more convenient,” said Tacloban resident Rodalyn Udal, 42, citing the 15-minute crossing beats bridge congestion.
To accommodate heavier cargo, truckers are being redirected to the Calbayog-Ormoc route, where five RoRo vessels have been granted 30-day special permits for inter-island operations.
