Christmas rush on as passengers fill bus terminals, airports

As Christmas day approaches, thousands of passengers continue to flock to bus terminals and ports to head to their holiday weekend destinations.

According to a "24 Oras" by Chino Gaston, passengers in bus terminals in Quezon City and Manila bound for Visayas and North Luzon continue to pour in and have to wait for hours for their respective trips.

To help ease travel during the Christmas exodus, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has permitted provincial buses to enter EDSA and the C5 road until Cubao and Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange. However, they are still not allowed to take the EDSA bus carousel.

“Mas mabillis ang turn-around ng mga bus if we allow them to pass EDSA, pero hindi sila pwedeng magsakay at magbaba because it will cause obstruction din,” said Vic Nuñez. of the MMDA Traffic Discipline Office.

Philippine National Police personnel have also been stationed in several terminals to maintain peace and order and assist passengers if needed.

Meanwhile, a separate report by Sandra Aguinaldo said that several travelers surpassing pre-pandemic numbers were expected to arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport by Saturday.

Based on an observation done by Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, the airport was currently handling more than its capacity.

“Itong airport kasi na to, aminin natin it’s a very congested airport. Ang capacity nito only 32 million but we are handling already 45 million, kaya kailangan magkaroon ng siguro [ng] additional infrastructure [at] magkaroon ng additional equipment,” said Bautista.

According to estimates by officials from NAIA and the Manila International Airport Authority, more than 140,000 passengers will be arriving at the airport by Saturday.

They expect the number to decrease after Saturday and see another spike by December 27 once travelers begin to return from their trips. —Jiselle Anne Casucian/LDF, GMA Integrated News