DOTr urges travelers to arrive 4 to 5 hours before flights

The Department of Transportation is advising passengers to arrive at airports at least four to five hours before their scheduled flights amid the expected surge in Holy Week travel.

In a report by JP Soriano on 24 Oras Tuesday, DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon highlighted the importance of fully staffed immigration counters to manage the increased passenger volume.

“Kabilin-bilinan po natin sa ating mga ahensya at sa ating private operator… siguruhing laging puno ang ating mga immigration counters kahit na kinakailangan maagang pumasok ang ating mga immigration officers,” said Dizon.

(We’ve instructed our agencies and private operators to ensure that immigration counters are fully manned, even if it means officers reporting to work earlier.)

Overseas Filipino workers have already begun flocking to airports to avoid delays. Despite designated lanes for OFWs, many still opt to come early. Seafarer James Banaag, for instance, arrived at 9 a.m. for his 2 p.m. flight.

“Yung mga anything na unexpected during the pila sa immigration, for example yung mga papers baka may kulang,” he said.

(We came early just in case there were issues at immigration, like missing documents.)

To reduce inconvenience during the travel rush, authorities are opting to confiscate bullet-shaped amulets rather than offload passengers.

Some OFWs also shared the emotional toll of spending the holidays away from their families.

“Yung anak mo kailangan kung ano mga gusto niya, gusto ko rin ibigay kaya nagtitiis po,” said Jenmar Magbanua.

(I want to give my child everything he wants, so I endure this.)

“Lalo na sa aming mga single mother, lumalaban para sa mga anak… para may maibigay kami sa mga anak namin, mapagtapos sa pag aaral, kasi wala kaming maasahan kundi sarili,” added Marebell Lamadora.

(For us single mothers, we keep pushing forward for our children—to provide for them and send them to school, because we have no one else to rely on but ourselves.)

Travelers are also reminded to register on the eTravel app, and OFWs are advised to bring their Overseas Employment Certificate. — DVM, GMA Integrated News