LEGAZPI CITY, May 11 -- The Philippine Coast Guard in Bicol (PCG-5) is working round-the-clock in anticipation of a surge of passengers in time for Monday's national and local elections.

In a phone interview on Sunday, Commodore Ivan Roldan said PCG-5 has raised its alert level across all stations and substations to ensure the safe and orderly movement of passengers.

"We're actively monitoring major ports across Bicol's six provinces, conducting inspections, and making sure passengers get to their destinations safely," Roldan said.

PCG-5 said it has monitored 12,914 outbound and 7,272 inbound passengers who passed through the region's major ports in the last 24 hours.

The PCG-5 has deployed 549 personnel, and inspected 60 vessels and ...