November 1, 2: Public told to plan trips ahead

CEBU, Philippines - The management of Cebu South Bus Terminal has advised passengers going to their hometowns for the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day to plan their trip ahead.

Ramon Dumayac, CSBT operations manager, said they expect the volume of passengers to start coming in on Friday, considering that November 1 falls on a Sunday. November 2 is not a holiday though.

Dumayac added that passengers will no longer be allowed to line up outside the terminal to prevent traffic and incidents of pick pocketing. Tents to serve as “contingency waiting areas” will also be mounted today inside the terminal.

“Expected nga magdasok gyud sa sulod. Katong mga nag-leave ug wala nagtrabaho anang adlawa, kun puwede sayo-sayo lang. Para ra pud na sa ilang convenience,” he said over the phone.

He said the waiting lounge is still supported with electric fans to help cool down the area. Railings and signage were also put up to sort out passengers according to their destination.

Elderly, pregnant, person with disabilities, and those travelling with small children also have their priority lanes.

The terminal management is expecting a high number of passengers from October 30 until November 1.

“Despite nga di holiday ang November 2, we still have to prepare,” Dumayac said.

He said he is not discounting the possibility of huge number of passengers cramped inside the terminal especially when the arrival of buses at the terminal are delayed which often attributed to either traffic or far destination.

Currently, there are 335 buses and minibuses at the CSBT. Dumayac said it is already the discretion of the bus operators to field additional units.

CSBT has requested for the deployment of additional security guards from the Capitol and its Civil Security Units personnel, and members of the Philippine National Police to augment the security at the terminal.

It also requested the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office for the crowd control.

Dumayac further reminded the passengers to attend to their belongings and adhere to the policies implemented inside the facility, especially the first-come-first serve rule.

He said a dry run will be conducted tomorrow. He will also meet today the security groups as part of their full swing operation this week. (FREEMAN)