Secretary Roxas tours air, land, sea ports for All Saints’ Day celeb

MANILA, Philippines—Transportation and Communications Secretary Mar Roxas on Friday visited a number of seaport, air and bus terminals to assess how well the department’s “Ligtas na Undas (Safe All Saints’ Day Celebration)” plan was being implemented.

“Our main concern during this year’s ‘Undas’ (All Saints’ Day celebration) is ensuring that our people arrive at their destinations safe through adequate transport means either by land, sea or air, and afforded convenience in all terminals,” Roxas said in a news release issued by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC). “We have instructed all our attached agencies to be responsive in assisting travelers.”

The release said Roxas first visited the Batangas port, a populous terminal for sea transport, where he checked its augmented facilities and security procedures to ensure the safety of holiday travelers.

Roxas briefly boarded ships sailing to provinces in the South and personally checked the facilities of vessels and saw to it that there was no overloading of passengers.

Expanded schedules

The DoTC said about 5,000 passengers boarded the vessels from the Batangas port each day. With the long weekend that included All Saints’ Day, the number was expected to increase by 20 percent to reach 25,000 to 35,000 travelers, the DOTC said, adding that the department arranged for the expansion of ship schedules.

Roxas next visited the Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminal 3, inspected security procedures of check-in counters for various domestic flights, talked with passengers on how long it took them to clear customs and safety procedures, and checked conditions of facilities, including toilets and waiting areas at the terminal, the release said.

Roxas advised travelers to arrive in air and sea ports earlier to avoid the rush, DOTC said.

Roxas’ last stop was the Philtranco bus terminal in Pasay, where fleets of provincial buses bound to both the north, up toward the Ilocos region, and down south to the Bicol Region, were stationed, the DOTC said.

The DOTC said a random drug test, apparently the first ever by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board during Undas, was conducted on bus drivers of provincial buses. Bus franchise operators and drivers welcomed the new testing procedure, saying it ensured that passengers were in safe hands.

Added security

Additional security personnel, traffic assistance officers and medical aides would be fielded in various transport terminals, DOTC said. Five helicopters on loan from the private sector were also on stand-by in passenger terminals ready for use in emergency operations.

The Philippine National Railway is also fielding additional coaches and trips to its Bicol Express (South Line) operation in anticipation of the big volume of passengers going to the Bicol and Southern Tagalog provinces for the observance of All Saints’ Day on Nov. 1, according to the DOTC. PNR’s commuter train in Metro Manila (Tutuban-Muntinlupa-Binan) will continue to operate during the period.

Travelers needing assistance could call the DOTC hotline 7890, the release said.