Bus firms brace for Christmas exodus, arrivals

Aside from the yearly Christmas exodus to the provinces, bus firms are also bracing for the arrival of Filipinos from the provinces to Metro Manila for the holidays. Radio dzBB on Saturday reported many passengers from the provinces began to arrive at the Araneta Bus Terminal in Cubao, Quezon City. Some bus firms have added extra trips to their daily schedules to accommodate the arrivals, the report said. But bus firms are not discounting the possibility of further extending their operations once the exodus starts, the report added. Filipinos in Metro Manila are expected to start flocking to bus terminals and air and seaports to take trips to their home provinces. Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in bus terminals, with security personnel instructed to be stricter in inspecting baggage. The dzBB report said that while security personnel will generally not open wrapped gifts, they may reserve the right to inspect such items deemed as "suspicious." — LBG, GMANews.TV