‘Ensure passengers’ safety during Holy Week exodus’

MANILA, Philippines — Transportation agencies and private transport providers must ensure the safety of passengers during their exodus to the provinces for the Holy Week, Sen. Grace Poe said yesterday.

Poe, who chairs the Senate committee on public services, underscored that all systems should be in place as a majority of travelers hit the road at the start of the long Holy Week break.

“The surge of passengers in bus terminals, seaports and airports during this season has been a yearly occurrence. There is no excuse for concerned transportation bodies and private providers not to be prepared,” she said.

“Overbooking, long queues for tickets, standing-room-only scenarios in buses, missing luggage and similar unfortunate incidents should be timely remedied,” she added.

Transportation agencies should ensure that people’s journey will not bring suffering but comfort and safety, and that any violation on the rights of passengers will be dealt with by relevant laws and government regulations, according to the senator.

“Lent gives the faithful a chance to reconnect, not only with God, but also with their families. Many save money to travel to the province to spend the religious event with their loved ones,” Poe said.

Inspection

Officials from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other government agencies yesterday inspected transportation hubs a day before the Holy Week break.

Led by PNP officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Rhodel Sermonia, officials made the rounds of transportation terminals in Metro Manila where they checked the security preparations of police officers and force multipliers.

Their first stop was the Araneta Central Terminal and Five Star Bus Terminal in Quezon City, where Sermonia and other government officials chatted with travelers.

They also visited Manila North Port, DLTB Bus Terminal in Pasay City, followed by the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). The group’s last stop was at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange.

Speaking to reporters, Sermonia said they were satisfied with the security blanket for the Lenten season.

He added that minor adjustments, such as putting more medical personnel in transport hubs, were made to ensure immediate response if someone gets sick.

“Especially now that the weather is hot. There’s even a report of a heat wave,” Sermonia said, as he reminded policemen and personnel from other government agencies that they should be proactive in ensuring the public’s safety to achieve their goal of zero casualty during the Holy Week break.

With measures in place, there is no reason for PNP units to go on full alert, according to Sermonia.

“There’s no threat from lawless elements. What’s important is that our fellow citizens see, feel and experience the public safety and security plan that we have laid down,” he said in Filipino and English.

The PNP is on heightened alert, which means at least 80 percent of the 227,000-strong police force are ready for deployment.

Nearly 78,000 police officers have been deployed across the country for the Holy Week.

National Capital Region Police Office director Maj. Gen. Edgar Allan Okubo said police visibility in Metro Manila would continue for the duration of the Lenten break until the end of summer vacation in May.

Disorganized ticketing

Meanwhile, thousands of passengers bound for their hometowns and provinces were inconvenienced yesterday in various port areas in the country due to an unorganized ticketing system, according to the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) general manager Jay Santiago.

Santiago, who inspected the Batangas Port yesterday, told reporters that the lack of a better ticketing system is a big challenge to them no matter how hard they try to make the passengers form a line to get their tickets.

He added that they have launched the unified electronic ticketing system that would address the problem, but its implementation was canceled in July last year by the new PPA administrator “for whatever reason.”

Red Cross first aid stations

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has set up first aid stations across the country to ensure that medical assistance is readily available to travelers during Holy Week.

As part of its preparations, the PRC has deployed ambulance teams with trained emergency medical personnel in areas where their services are most needed.

It said volunteers have so far assisted 26 individuals who had their blood pressure taken and experienced dizziness, laceration, abrasion, blister and swelling.

“We know that many Filipinos will be traveling during this time, and we want to ensure that they have access to medical assistance when they need it,” PRC chairman Richard Gordon said in a statement.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, accompanied by Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines director general Manuel Antonio Tamayo, yesterday inspected the CAAP’s Philippine Air Traffic Management Center so as not to repeat the incident last Jan. 1, when the ATMC bogged down and paralyzed the country’s aviation industry.

Bautista anticipated the possible surge in air travel during the Holy Week holiday, the first observance without restrictions since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. – Emmauel Tupas, Robertzon Ramirez, Rudy Santos