PITX passenger count hits 1.6 million this holiday season

More than 1.6 million passengers have passed through the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) this Christmas season, which surpassed the land port’s figures in 2022. 

PITX corporate affairs officer Kolyn Calbasa said that the terminal recorded a total of 1,684,597 foot traffic from December 15 to 26.

 “Nalampasan na natin. Sa same period last year, nasa around 1.3 million tayo, ngayon nasa 1.6 million tayo,” Calbasa said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.

(We’ve exceeded our records last year. During the same period last year, we recorded 1.3 million passengers. We’re now at 1.6 million.) 

The highest passenger count in PITX was logged on Saturday, December 23, at approximately 240,000. 

The heavy influx of passengers is expected until January 3, 2024, which may reach up to 2.6 million. 

Calbasa attributed the increase in the number of passengers to the additional trips in PITX and the so-called “revenge travel” behavior of many Filipinos following the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Syempre nakapag-ipon para sa Pasko ngayon, gusto na nilang umuwi sa kanilang probinsya,” she added. 

(Since people have saved up money for Christmas, they want to go home to their respective provinces.) 

Calbasa said the top trip in PITX is to Bicol, with some air conditioned buses already fully booked. Chance passengers, however, are still assured of seats with a few hours of waiting time.—RF, GMA Integrated News