Passengers flock to terminals, ports ahead of Christmas

Passenger traffic continues to build up at bus terminals, seaports, and airports across the country on Tuesday, two days before Christmas.

In Marikina City, several passengers were forced to spend the night at the BFCT bus terminal due to a shortage of available provincial trips, according to a report by Super Radyo DZBB’s Manny Vargas on GTV’s Balitanghali.

Trips bound for Aklan, Antique, Iloilo, Davao, and Samar were fully booked, leaving some travelers stranded.

Terminal dispatchers said the shortage of trips was caused by issues with vessels used to transport buses to island provinces.

Passenger volume also remained high at bus terminals in the Cubao area of Quezon City, where travelers queued for buses bound for Bicol and Northern Luzon.

Bus operators advised passengers without reservations to arrive early, as most trips are operating on a first-come, first-served basis amid the holiday rush.

At Manila North Port, only one sea trip was scheduled for the day. The MV Maligaya was set to sail to Bacolod, Iloilo, and Cagayan de Oro with a total of 859 passengers who had secured advance bookings.

At Matnog Port in Sorsogon, travelers bound for Samar faced long queues and extended waiting times as passenger volume surged ahead of Christmas, according to Regional TV News.

Passengers were observed lining up in large numbers to purchase tickets and secure slots aboard roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessels, with some waiting for more than 12 hours to board a ferry.

Despite the congestion, Matnog Port management said there was no suspension of trips and that RoRo operations remained continuous.

The Sorsogon provincial administrator explained that delays were mainly due to the longer turnaround time of ships returning from the opposite port, noting that fewer passengers and vehicles travel back to Matnog.

Passenger traffic at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Parañaque City also continued to surge, mostly overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) returning home to spend the holidays with their families, GMA Integrated News’ JP Soriano reported.

According to the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), traveler influx remains high at Terminals 1, 2, and 3.

MIAA data showed that on December 22 alone, a total of 164,858 passengers arrived and departed through the three terminals—more than 3% higher than the same date last year.

Outside the terminals, vehicle queues were also observed, but airport authorities said traffic flow has been generally orderly and more manageable compared to previous days.

Authorities advised the public to plan trips early and allow extra time when traveling.—Joviland Rita/MCG, GMA Integrated News