Around 7 million Filipinos are expected to flock to the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) and different sea ports in the country to spend the Christmas and New Year holidays with their families, the Department of Transportation said on Monday.
“Three million ang inaasahang dadagsa diyan sa PITX, so land ‘yan. Four million ang inaasahan sa mga pier, mga sea ports…four million ang dadagsa hanggang next month, I think first two weeks of January,” said DOTr Executive Assistant to the Secretary Jonathan Gesmundo at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon forum.
(We are expecting three million people in PITX. Meanwhile, four million are expected to flock to various sea ports until the first two weeks of January.)
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) had earlier issued policies and road adjustments to address the anticipated influx of passengers during the holidays.
The LTFRB has extended the validity of special permits for public utility vehicles until January 10, 2025, from the initial January 4, 2025, as some travelers would likely extend their vacations as well.
The regulatory agency also added 5,000 more slots for ride-hailing services in Metro Manila amid the high demand this holiday season.
The MMDA also allowed some 2,000 provincial buses to use EDSA for limited hours starting December 20, 2024 and fully starting December 26, 2024 until January 2, 2025.
The MRT and LRT systems extended their operating hours this Christmas season to accommodate more passengers.
Further, the DOTr encouraged the public to take public transportation instead of private vehicles to avoid “carmageddon.”
“Huwag sana iasa sa pamahalaan ang pagluluwag ng traffic. Makakatulong tayo sa pamamagitan ng pag-iwan sa garage ng ating sasakyan, mag-public transport na lang po,” said Gesmundo.
(Please don’t rely so much on the government when it comes to addressing the road traffic. You can actually help if you would leave your cars at your garages and take the public transportation instead.) — RSJ, GMA Integrated News
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