MANILA, Philippines — Public transportation will remain running in Metro Manila and four surrounding provinces although the region has been placed on lockdown, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Sunday.
Steve Pastor, assistant transportation secretary for road transport and infrastructure, told a news briefing that all public utility vehicles (PUVs) would be allowed to operate in Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan and Rizal at 50 percent of their capacity, provided they followed the one-seat-apart rule.
Public utility buses, UV Express vans, jeepneys, shuttle services, tricycles, taxis and transport network vehicle services will be allowed to operate 24 hours a day to provide services for essential workers, Pastor said.
The government on Saturday placed Metro Manila and the four surrounding provinces on enhanced community quarantine—the strictest lockdown level—for one week starting Monday due to rising numbers of coronavirus infections.
According to the DOTr, only people allowed to go out will be permitted to travel through the region. People going home to their provinces will not be allowed to travel, as they are no longer considered “essential travelers.”
“Those who are planning to go home [to their provinces within the region] will not be allowed to enter, nor will they be allowed to take public transportation. We are urging them to postpone their trips until the [lockdown] is lifted,” said Artemio Tuazon Jr., undersecretary of transport for administrative services.
He said people allowed to go out should bring only their valid identification cards, which they would present at checkpoints.
Passenger capacity on Metro Manila’s three elevated rail lines and Philippine National Railways (PNR) will be limited to 20 percent to 30 percent, the DOTr said.
Only 370 passengers per train are allowed on the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT 1); 274 on LRT 2; 372 on Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT 3); and 310 on PNR trains.
Transportation Undersecretary Timothy Batan said the scheduled annual maintenance of the rail services would still be carried out from March 30 to April 4.
LRT 1 and LRT 2 will be closed from Wednesday to Sunday, MRT 3 from Tuesday to Sunday, and PNR from Thursday to Saturday.
PNR will resume operations on Sunday on five routes: Tutuban-Alabang, Tutuban-Calamba, Tutuban-Governor Pascual, Governor Pascual-Bicutan and Naga-Sipocot.
Regular operations of all rail services will resume on April 5, Batan said.