Transpo officials ready plans for All Saints’, All Souls’ Days

Transport officials met with airport, bus and seaport officials yesterday to map preparations for accommodating increased passenger traffic for the upcoming holiday for  All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days.

Help desks will be set up from Oct. 27 until Nov. 2, to answer concerns of  passengers, said engineer Nigel Paul Villarete, general manager of the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA).

Yesterday’s meeting was attended by groups under the Task Force Undas set up by the Department of Transportation and Communications in Central Visayas (DOTC-7).

Villarete heads the DOTC-7’s Regional Management Council.

“The airport is not the end of travel. We look at this as the entire travel,” Villarete said in a  press conference.

He said they are expecting a 20 to 30 percent increase in the number of domestic passengers in the coming holidays.

The international airport recorded 29,799 flights from January to August 2011.

Villarete said they advise passengers to book their flights early to avoid last-minute inconveniences.

The Philippine Coast Guard also reminded passenger and cargo shipping companies to prepare their passenger and cargo manifests early to avoid delays in their trips for the holidays.

Commodore Cecil Chen, Coast Guard District Commander of Central Eastern Visayas,  said they will also monitor motorboats.

Vessels will also be inspected to determine if they are seaworthy, he added.

Both the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will check buses and passenger jeepneys to determine if they are road worthy.

LTFRB-7 Regional Director Ahmed Cuizon said they also started issuing  special permits for additional trips of vehicles.

Cuizon said buses can cover areas outside its usual routes for additional trips.

But he said local governments that bar public utility vehicles outside of their area like Cebu City won’t be issued special permits.

The permit, which costs P260 for a maximum of six days, will be distributed until Friday. /Candeze R. Mongaya, Reporter with Correspondent Norman V. Mendoza