Piers, terminals ready for influx of people

CEBU, Philippines - Operations at the piers and bus terminals remained normal as of yesterday, when passengers coming from the different Cebu towns and cities and even from outside Cebu began going back to Cebu City.

The number of returning passengers is expected to sharply increase today, the first day of work after a long weekend.

Glenn Sarador, Cebu Port Authority security manager, said they observed passengers who went home for All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day starting to arrive already yesterday afternoon.

“Daghan na gyud ang nangabot pero mingaw ang (Many people are already seen in the arrival areas while the) departure (areas are deserted),” said Sarador.

He said that although there were no complaints of overloading and overcharging, arriving vessels were really fully-booked.

CPA Media Liaison Officer Karen Quiñanola-Gonzales said they have ensured the convenience of the passengers at the piers by providing taxi stands and taxi cabs near the arrival areas.

CPA also augmented its port security personnel, which is aside from the existing security force at the domestic ports as well as the activation of help desks with medical/first aid stations from Oct. 25 to Nov. 4.

With thousands  of passengers starting to head back to Cebu City yesterday after the end of the long weekend, the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) administration said it made sure buses do not overload and overcharge to take advantage of the situation.

CSBT Administrator Vicente Dejoras Jr. said that prior to the observance of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days, they warned bus drivers not to take in more passengers en route to Cebu City when they have already reached their maximum capacity of passengers from their terminals of origin.

Apart from inspectors deployed by the Land Transportation Office in different towns to check passing buses if they were overloading, the Philippine National Police also set up checkpoints to help ensure the safety of the riding public.

Dejoras said they have not receive any report that buses took in more than the usual number of people or that passengers were charged higher than what they used to pay.

He said they gave a very stern warning to bus drivers and operators against overloading and overcharging after the two-day holiday, when a high number of passengers going back to the city from their respective hometowns is expected.

 CSBT estimated that from Thursday to Saturday last week, more than 20,000 passengers headed left Cebu City for their hometowns. On Nov. 1, the Cebu Provincial Government had to ask the mayors of a city and three towns to dispatch their own buses to transport passengers who were still at the terminal waiting for more buses.

Dejoras said the shortage of buses was experienced since some buses encountered mechanical problems; but on Nov. 2, there were already enough buses to transport passengers.

Julieto Flores, Cebu South Mini-Buses Operators Association president, likewise said they did not receive any complaint on overcharging and overloading during All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days.

“Makita nato nga daghan ang pasahero but daghan man sad ang mga (We observed an increase in the number of passengers, but there were enough buses ug (and) mini-buses (to accommodate them),” Flores said.

Dejoras would be meeting today the bus operators and drivers to gather information on the concerns they encountered during the long weekend that he would include in the overall assessment of the occasion.

It can be recalled that the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)-7 issued 40 special permits for buses to travel outside their regular routes just to accommodate all passengers last week.

LTFRB-7 and the Land Transportation Office-7 also established help desks in line with the Department of  Transportation and Communication’s Oplan Ligtas Biyahe (Undas 2013) for  a special permit issuance, passenger assistance, and road worthiness/ franchise inspections.—/RHM  (FREEMAN)