Bus terminals, seaports, and airports in different parts of the country were packed with passengers on Monday morning as people returned for work after the Undas break over the weekend.
At the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX), around 25,648 people have arrived at the terminal as early as 7 a.m. and around 170,000 more are expected on Monday.
“As of 7 a.m., nasa 25,648 na po ang dumagsa sa ating terminal. So ine-expect natin na 170,000 more ang dadagsa today dahil sa nakikita nating numero ngayon pa lang umaga,” PITX senior corporate affairs officer Kolyn Calbasa told Unang Balita in an interview.
(As of 7 a.m., 25,648 people have already flocked to our terminal. So we expect that 170,000 more will come today because of the number we saw just this morning.)
“Tuloy-tuloy po ang mga biyahe natin today. Ine-expect nga natin na ‘yung ibang pasahero natin na hindi nakabiyahe nitong Undas, ngayon pa lang bibiyahe,” she added.
(We continue to offer trips today. We expect that our other passengers who have not traveled this Undas will travel today.)
From October 28 to November 5, PITX is expecting a total of 1.4 million passengers, Calbasa said. This is higher compared to the 1.3 million passengers recorded from October 26 to November 5 last year.
In provinces, passengers heading to Metro Manila also rushed to bus terminals and seaports, according to a separate report of Mariz Umali on Unang Balita.
A terminal in Lipa, Batangas ran out of available buses for Metro Manila trips due to the influx of passengers after the Undas break. Influx of passengers was also observed in a bus terminal in Lucena, Quezon.
At Batangas Port, travelers arrived early in the morning to avoid huge crowds. Strict security measures were being implemented at Caticlan Port.
Meanwhile, at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 in Pasay City, many passengers took morning flights to avoid the expected heavy traffic and influx of passengers, according to a report of Katrina Son.
Even some passengers who booked evening flights went to the airport early morning to ensure smooth travel.
Malacañang earlier declared November 1 (All Saints’ Day) and November 2 (All Souls’ Day) as special non-working days to allow Filipinos to spend time to honor their departed loved ones. —Joviland Rita/KG, GMA Integrated News
