Passengers start flocking to terminals for Christmas, New Year

Many passengers have started flocking to terminals, airports, and seaports on Tuesday ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays, according to Unang Balita reports.

Passengers interviewed by GMA Integrated News said they decided to travel to their destinations early to avoid the influx of passengers and heavy traffic expected in the coming days.

"Mahirap talaga kaya nag-decide na kami na mas maaga umuwi para hindi na maabutan ng traffic (It's really hard that's why we decided to travel early to avoid traffic)," said passenger Jerry Baros in James Agustin's report.

Another passenger, Janerose Paraiso, said she made the trip early to avoid crowds in terminals and make the most of her vacation.

"Mas pinaaga ko kasi iwas siksikan at saka hindi masayang iyong bakasyon ko (I traveled early to avoid the crowds and make the most of my vacation)," she said.

The managements of bus terminals in Cubao have prepared for the increase of passengers and applied for special permits to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) for additional bus units.

"Iyong mga ruta po namin kinunan namin ng special permit. Inaasahan na po namin iyan dahil bawat peak season ay pinaghahandaan po namin iyan," bus dispatcher Norman Marcilla said.

(We obtained special permits for our routes. We are expecting and preparing for the influx of passengers during peak seasons.)

Security personnel are roving around the terminals and checking the baggages of passengers upon their entrance.

"Naka-regular check up iyong mga bus namin halos weekly para mapaghandaan itong darating na peak season, Christmas, at New Year," bus dispatcher Fernando Polintan said.

(We are conducting regular inspections on our buses almost weekly as preparation for the peak season during the Christmas and New Year holiday season.)

NAIA

At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City, many Filipinos also started returning to the Philippines for their holiday vacation, according to a separate report by Nico Waje.

One of them was Leah Marcelo, who had stayed in Canada for 11 months for her studies. 

"Excited akong mag-Christmas dito sa atin kasi sobrang iba ang Christmas dito sa atin compared sa ibang bansa, like iyong preparations nila sobrang ibang-iba sa atin," she said.

(I am excited to spend Christmas in the Philippines because the celebration here is different compared with other countries.) 

Overseas Filipino worker Nerissa Sta. Romana returned to the Philippines with her employers from Kenya for Christmas and New Year.

"Masaya ka rin maski ibang lahi sila naano nila iyong feelings mo na kailangan mo iyong family mo na makasama for Christmas," she said.

(I am happy because even though we have different nationalities, they understand that I need to be with my family for Christmas.)

Meanwhile, Sheryl Torio came to the Philippines to fetch her children and take them to Singapore after four years of spending the Christmas holidays apart.

"Nakakamiss din. Siyempre iyong father ko nandito, iyong bata, mga in-laws pero iba rin iyong kasama iyong mga anak,” she said.

(I miss it. Of course, my father, kids, and in-laws are here. But Christmas is different if I spend it with my children.)

Seaports

Meanwhile, in some seaports in the Visayas, hundreds of passengers were stranded with the suspension of trips due to Tropical Cyclone Kabayan, according to a report GMA Regional TV Balitang Bisdak’s Alan Domingo.

At Pier 1 in Cebu City, over 200 passengers were transported to a sports center as they waited for the trips to resume.

A total of 1,295 passengers and 200 rolling cargoes were stranded in Central Visayas, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.

Meanwhile, in Leyte and Southern Leyte, at least 454 people and 157 rolling cargoes were stranded as nine vessels suspended operations, according to the Office of Civil Defense 8.

While the suspension of trips in these areas has been lifted as Kabayan weakened into a low pressure area (LPA), the trips of vessels with gross tonnage below 50 are still prohibited due to the gale warning in effect in light of the shear line and LPA.  —KBK, GMA Integrated News