MANILA, Philippines – To provide an alternative mode of transportation for the Holy Week, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has announced that the Pasig River Ferry service will be open even during the holidays.
During the agency’s weekly radio program on Sunday, MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino said that other modes of public transportation in Metro Manila might not be readily available to the public especially with the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and the Metro Rail Transit closed to the public on certain days during the Holy Week.
The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) has announced that the LRT lines 1 and 2 will be closed from April 2 to April 5 while the MRT 3 will be non-operational from Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday.
“The commuters who will not be able to ride the MRT and LRT can instead use the Pasig Ferry,” Tolentino added.
Revived in April as a means to decongest metro thoroughfares affected by road projects, the ferry service operates seven stations in Guadalupe in Makati City, Pinagbuhatan and San Joaquin in Pasig City; Escolta, and PUP Sta. Mesa, Intramuros and Sta. Ana in Manila. It now has eleven boats with a maximum capacity of 30 passengers and fare ranges from P30 to P95 depending on the destination of the passengers.
The MMDA Chair said the ferry service would be used for a Visita Iglesia (or the visitation of seven churches during the Holy Week) by the agency.
According to MMDA General Manager Corazon Jimenez, the Holy Week activity will start at 7 a.m. on Monday (Mar. 30) with a Mass at the agency’s headquarters in Makati City.
“From MMDA, we will go to the Guadalupe Shrine then use the Guadalupe Ferry Station to get to Sta. Ana Church,” Jimenez added.
Expecting about 150 participants to join, the agency’s general manager said the next destination would be the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Sta. Mesa, Manila, which is accessible through the PUP ferry station.
“Our last stop would be at Sta. Cruz Church in Escolta,” Jimenez said explaining that they only chose to visit four churches this year because the employees still have to go back to work after the activity.
She also encouraged interested individuals to join their Visita Iglesia and noted that they could continue visiting other nearby churches after going to the four mentioned.
“We will give participants bags containing water, crackers, rosary and prayer books, “Jimenez added.
The agency’s Visita Iglesia is on its second year and Jimenez said they are expecting more participants today as they were only about 120 last year.
Aside from this activity, the MMDA will also have its yearly Pabasa or the Holy Week practice of chanting the narrative of the life of Jesus Christ starting on Monday. SFM/AC