October 29, 2024 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Around 4.5 million Filipinos are expected to travel during All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days this week, according to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said the DOTr and its attached agencies are prepared for a surge of passengers at airports, seaports and bus terminals.
“Every year we estimate millions (of passengers during Undas). Bus passengers alone may reach 1 to 1.5 million,” Bautista told Malacañang reporters yesterday.
For airports and seaports, the DOTr expects at least three million passengers, according to Bautista.
“The DOTr, together with other attached agencies, is ready for Undas,” he said.
The agencies under the DOTr are the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), Philippine Ports Authority and Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).
Bautista said all airports and seaports are operational despite the impact of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine last week.
Bautista, however, advised bus operators to monitor the situation before allowing their drivers to travel to Bicol, noting the long lines of roll-on/roll-off (RORO) passengers at Matnog port in Sorsogon.
Citing reports, Bautista said the lines of vehicles at Matnog port have reached 30 kilometers.
“Most of the affected passengers are those in Sorsogon. Until now, there is still a long line of people needing to board RORO from Matnog to Allen, Samar. But we are working closely with the authorities,” he said.
NAIA all set for travelers
The New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), operator of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, is working with the MIAA and other government agencies to ensure smooth and safe travel of passengers during Undas.
The collaborative approach will focus on enhancing security protocols, passenger assistance and traffic management, according to the NNIC.
Additional parking spaces at the NAIA Terminal 3 will be opened to help ease traffic congestion around the airport.
CAAP spokesman Eric Apolonio said 44 airports would be on heightened security until Nov. 10 in support of the DOTr’s “Oplan Biyaheng Ayos: Undas 2024.”
The Bureau of Immigration said 58 BI officers would be assigned to international airports and seaports.
Meanwhile, San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora said all cemeteries in the city are ready for an influx of Undas visitors.
Zamora yesterday led the inspection of the San Juan public cemetery, St. John the Baptist Columbary and the Santuario del Sto. Cristo crypt.
“We ask those visiting the cemeteries to remember that Undas is a time to respect the dead,” he said. — Evelyn Macairan, Rudy Santos, Jose Rodel Clapano
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