With many already home, Undas travel lighter, faster

The number of Filipinos who have traveled to the provinces to mark Undas — or the traditional Filipino way of celebrating the All Saints’ and All Souls’ days — has dropped so far, transport bodies said, with port authorities saying they "expected a decrease of more or less 40 percent." In various reports culled from GMA News newscasts, transport authorities, especially in the Manila and Batangas ports and terminals, have said that there are fewer passengers traveling to the provinces this year, compared with past years. GMA News’ Rida Reyes reported over “24 Oras" that only about 13,000 passengers have boarded sea vessels from Batangas Port since Thursday, mostly bound for Romblon, and Oriental and Occidental Mindoro.
Batangas Port authorities said the figure normally reaches as high as 40,000 during All Saints’ and All Souls’ days, when passengers make use of days off to spend time with their relatives in the provinces, and to visit the graves of their departed loved ones, as well. But port authorities are not surprised by the steep decline. "Ine-expect namin magkakaroon ng decrease, more or less 40%. Why? Dahil marami nang napauna dahil sa eleksyon at bakasyon," said manager Victor Arellano of the Port Services Division of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA). (We expected a decrease of more or less 40%. Why? Because many of the passengers have gone ahead earlier, for the barangay elections and semestral break.) Even with the expected decrease in the volume of passengers, security measures, such as X-ray machines and K-9 units to check on passengers’ baggage, remain in place at the Batangas Port. The port will also remain open for 24 hours to deal with the expected rush of passengers over the weekend, while public assistance centers will be set up to entertain passengers’ concerns round-the-clock. Authorities from the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), PPA and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) also inspected roll-on, roll-off (RORO) ships earlier on Friday as part of the mandatory pre-departure inspection. The PCG has assured the public that in spite of occasional drizzles expected in vicinity of the port during Undas, RORO trips will not be canceled since the PCG will keep in coordination with the weather bureau. Manila Port Area authorities, meanwhile, have said the number of passengers has reached only 1,500, which is less than last year’s figures. "Ang explanation dito, dahil naging maganda ‘yung distribution, dahil nagkaroon tayo ng bakasyon noong ating eleksyon, so na-spread-out ‘yung ating mga pasahero na umuuwi sa kanilang lalawigan," said PCG chief Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo, in a separate report by GMA News’ Mark Salazar. (The explanation of this is that [passenger volume] was spread out over a longer period, as some were able to go home for vacation to the provinces during the [barangay] elections.) Land travel In another report, GMA News’ Steve Dailisan said on Friday that some 9,000 passengers trooped to the Araneta Center Bus Terminal since the morning, prompting bus companies to increase the frequency of departing buses to every 30 minutes to accommodate the swell of passengers. Earlier, representatives of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board prevented at least three buses from leaving the terminal, after they found out that the buses did not comply with safety standards. Some of the buses sported worn-out tires, had missing screws in tire rims, had faulty wipers, and most did not have fire extinguishers or first aid kits. To cope with the expected swell of holiday passengers, some 390 special permits have been issued to “out-of-line" buses — or buses that do not have regular permits to ply a particular route — while bus companies will operate and dispatch buses 24/7 over the weekend. The LTO has advised travelers who encounter traffic enforcers engaging in extortion over the long Undas weekend to report the incident to its Undas Hotline, 922-9061 to 69. NLEX authorities on red alert North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) authorities have gone on red alert since Friday, and have put at least three ambulances on standby at the toll plazas in Balintawak, Sta. Rita and San Fernando, Pampanga. NLEX traffic supervisor Dave Bautista, told GMA News’ Mariz Umali that roadway assistants, tow trucks and patrol vehicles have been deployed in order to assist travelers who figure in car breakdowns during the Undas exodus.
Passengers who encounter problems may call the NLEX hotlines 35000 or 580-8911, NLEX authorities said. The NLEX management also reminded travelers to ensure that their vehicles are in good condition before going on long-distance travel for the Undas, to check their vehicles’ BLOWBAG — the motorist acronym for “brakes, lights, oil, water, battery, air, and gas" — and to make sure that drivers themselves are in good shape and ready for long-haul drives. The normal vehicle volume at the NLEX reaches as much as 160,000 daily, and the figure goes up by as much as 10 to 15 percent during All Saints’ and All Souls’ days.—DM/JV/HS, GMANews.TV