Pinoys make last-minute shopping before Undas exodus

Filipinos made last-minute shopping early Friday for food and pasalubong (gifts) before heading for the provinces to pay respects to their dearly departed at Undas (All Saints' and All Souls' Days). In Manila, Filipinos crowded the Divisoria area early Friday morning to buy items to bring for their trips to the provinces, radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo reported. Some even bought masks for their children to wear for Halloween parties and trick-or-treating in the provinces, the report added. The Manila Police District deployed personnel to Divisoria to keep watch over the shoppers. On the other hand, bus terminals in Metro Manila made last-minute preparations Friday in anticipation of the peak of the yearly exodus to the provinces for Undas, which they expect to start Friday afternoon. In Quezon City, meanwhile, bus operators made last-minute security preparations to prepare for the peak of the yearly Undas trips. A report by dzBB's Allan Gatus quoted Araneta Bus Terminal officer Ronald Tagle as saying they expect 5,000 to 6,000 Filipinos to ride province-bound buses within the day. Tagle said they expect most of the passengers to start arriving in the afternoon since many passengers need to withdraw cash or make last-minute shopping in the morning. Additional policemen had been fielded to the terminal to keep watch over the passengers. For their part, some bus firms offered discounts and free food in a bid to lure more passengers. The dzBB report said that as of Friday morning, some bus firms still offered fare discounts of 10 to 30 percent, depending on how far the destination is. — LBG, GMA News