Passengers still flocking to transport terminals amid Holy Week 2025 exodus

Commuters continued to arrive Tuesday at airports, seaports, and bus terminals in Metro Manila and different provinces across the country on Holy Week 2025.

At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3, immigration counters were being fully manned on Tuesday morning to keep up with passenger demand, according to an Unang Balita report of Bam Alegre.

"Mabuti naman at nakita niyo paano lumuwag 'yung ating immigration. Matagal nang madaming umaangal du'n eh. So pinuntahan kung totoo talagang i-implement ngayon… na talagang mapupuno ang ating mga counters tapos maganda ang queuing," Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Eric Ines said.

(It's good that passengers are seeing how our immigration lines have improved. Many were complaining about that before. So our officials went here to see if the adjustments will really be implemented.)

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) earlier said it deployed an additional 48 personnel to NAIA amid the expected influx of passengers for the Holy Week.

At the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX), meanwhile, chance passengers were still able to get bus tickets as some canceled their reservations. Others also had to wait for several hours to get on board their buses.

Rosalie Silvestre, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who just returned from Kuwait, was one of the few passengers at the PITX who got a ticket to Camarines Sur this morning because she waited patiently in line, based on a report of James Agustin.

"Nag-aantay kami, ang dami naming nakapila. Sabi raw, fully booked. Diyos ko po, sana makauwi ako kasi maga-graduation nga 'yung anak ko. Recognition ba, with high honor mga anak ko," said Rosalie.

(A lot of us were in line, waiting. We were told that buses were already fully booked. I want to go home because my children are graduating with high honors.)

Air-conditioned buses at the PITX bound for Daet, Camarines Norte were fully booked until April 18, but extra buses were being deployed to accommodate more passengers.

Meanwhile, air-conditioned buses going to Tabaco City, Legazpi, and Naga in Albay were also fully booked until April 17.

Passengers at PITX reached 174,000 on Monday, with more expected to arrive until Thursday for the long weekend.

At the Manila Northport, travelers were also undergoing stringent security measures before getting inside the facility, based on a report of Mariz Umali.

One passenger, Mary Grace, has been waiting in the terminal since 5 a.m. even though her boarding time was still at 12:30 p.m.

Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) port manager Jenneliza Rebong said about 800 passengers were expected at Manila Northport going to Bacolod, Iloilo, and Cagayan on Tuesday.

"Kaninang umaga may bumyahe na, 'yung 5 a.m., nasa around 500. Actually ito na ang peak sa Holy Week kasi nasa estimate, 1,400 [passengers] kasama 'yung kaninang umaga," said Rebong.

(Around 500 passengers already boarded as of 5 a.m. This is already the peak of the Holy Week rush here because we estimate around 1,400 passengers, including those who traveled this morning.)

Meanwhile, the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) said that an influx of motorists on expressways is expected beginning Holy Wednesday. 

“As of now, regular traffic pa rin yung nararanasan natin sa ating mga expressways…Nais natin ipabatid sa ating mga motorista na labis pinaghandaan ito ng ating tanggapan at ng mga toll operators ang posibleng pagdagsa ng mga motorista simula bukas ng hapon hanggang Huwebes ng tanghali,” said TRB spokesperson Julius Corpuz in Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon. 

(As of now, we are still experiencing regular traffic on our expressways... We would like to inform our motorists that our office and the toll operators have prepared extensively for the possible influx of motorists starting tomorrow afternoon until Thursday noon.) 

Further, the TRB said that toll assist personnel and technicians are deployed in RFID lanes to provide assistance in case of technical problems.  

“Kapag nagkaroon ng pagkakataon na humaba ng hundred meters ang queue sa RFID lanes natin, obligado iakyat ng ating toll operators yung mga barriers para magiging mabilis ang daloy ng trapiko,” said Corpuz. 

(If there is a chance that the queue in our RFID lanes will grow a hundred meters, our toll operators are obligated to raise the barriers so that the flow of traffic will be faster.) 

The TRB official also reminded car owners to make sure that their RFID pass has enough load before traveling. 

For those who don’t have RFIDs installed in their vehicles, the TRB asked drivers to queue in the lanes for cash payments. — Giselle Ombay and Vince Angelo Ferreras/VDV/VBL, GMA Integrated News