ILOILO City – Dogs trained to detect contrabands such as illegal drugs and explosives will help the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) inspect people crossing the Iloilo Strait for the annual Lenten reenactment of the passion and death of Christ in Guimaras.
“Ang Pagtatal sa Guimaras” attracts thousands of pilgrims every Good Friday, according to PCG-Iloilo commander Lieutenant Rodolfo Dela Peña.
PCG-Iloilo has two “K-9” dogs, he said, on top of five boats (three aluminum boats, a rubber boat and a small craft).
“In case of emergency, we can response quickly,” said Dela Peña.
The dogs will be sniffing motorboat passengers’ luggage and cargo.
The coastguard is also wary of passengers overloading motorboats.
There are two wharves in this city for Guimaras-bound motorboats – one in Barangay Ortiz (for Jordan, Guimaras) and another at Parola (for Buenavista, Guimaras).
Dela Peña said he recently discussed safety and security matters with motorboats operators.
Aside from the two city wharves, other seaports in Iloilo will also have PCG passenger assistance centers, said Dela Peña.
“We urge the public to cooperate with us,” said Dela Peña.
Do not bring deadly weapons and illegal drugs, he said.
TEMPORARILY STOPPAGE
Some shipping companies with Iloilo-Bacolod trips have temporarily stopped their operations to observe Holy Week, according to PCG-Iloilo. Among these are the following:
* Weesam Express – beginning 3 p.m. of March 29; trips resume at 6:30 a.m. on March 31
* OceanJet – beginning 3:45 p.m. of March 30; trips resume at 6:05 a.m. on March 31
* SuperCat – beginning 5 p.m. of March 30; trips resume at 8 a.m. on March 31
* Fastcat – beginning 8 a.m. of March 30; trips resume at 8 p.m. on March 30
* FF Cruz Ferry – beginning 1:30 p.m. p.m. of March 30; trips resume at 5:30 a.m. on March 31
* Trans-Asia Shipping Lines (Iloilo-Cebu) – beginning 6 p.m. of March 31; trips resume at 6 p.m. on April 1
* Cokaliong Shipping Lines – beginning 7 p.m. of March 29; trips resume at 7 p.m. on April 1./PN
