Pinoys flock to bus terminals as Undas exodus continues

The yearly exodus for Undas (All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days) continued to peak Sunday morning, with Filipinos flocking to bus terminals to get a ride to the provinces where they can pay respects to their dearly departed. At the Araneta Bus Terminal in Quezon City, managers noted an increase in the number of passengers, radio dzBB’s Benjie Liwanag Jr. reported Sunday. “Noong nakaraang mga araw kaunti ang volume ng tao pero itong araw na ito dumami," said PO1 Cornejos of the Quezon City Police District, who was assigned to watch the bus terminal. The report quoted officials of the bus firms using the terminal as saying many of the passengers had booked their trips in advance for Sunday. Many of the bus firms in the area are heading for destinations like Laguna, Pangasinan and Ilocos, the report said. Cornejos said they encountered no major problems, only common ones that include the loss of some personal items and fare money. “Ang naninigarilyo pinagbabawalan, binibigyan ng warning (We also reminded smokers of a ban on smoking in the bus terminals)," he added. The report said traffic slowed down in the Cubao area where the bus terminal was located. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said traffic at the northbound part of Epifanio delos Santos Avenue from Kalayaan to Guadalupe was moderate to heavy as of 5:27 a.m. In Pasay City, meanwhile, dzBB’s Mao dela Cruz quoted officials of the Victory Liner terminal there as saying the number of passengers during the weekend increased by 20 percent. The report quoted terminal master Armand Mendoza as saying even the number of passengers Sunday was higher than usual. Mendoza said this prompted them to increase the number of trips from 133 a day to 160. — LBG, GMA News