CEBU CITY — The management of the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) has said they are all set for the influx of passengers during the observance of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
Terminal manager Joy Tumulak on Wednesday said to be able to cater to all outbound passengers, the CSBT will limit the number of people in the passenger lounge.
Once the passenger lounge reaches its 2,000-seating capacity, Tumulak said they will implement a temporary closure of the CSBT until after some of the passengers have already boarded the buses bound for their respective hometowns.
“If 50 passengers have boarded their buses, we will then reopen the passenger lounge to allow 50 people to enter the passenger lounge, so on and so forth,” Tumulak explained to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in Cebuano.
Tumulak said the CSBT has already accommodated about 150,000 passengers since last weekend and they expect this number to double by Friday with the influx of out-of-towners starting late Wednesday afternoon after office hours.
Security has also been beefed up in the CSBT with the deployment of additional personnel from both the Cebu Provincial and City Police Offices.
Tumulak said at least 80 police officers, including members of the Special Weapons and Tactic, have been deployed to the terminal to assist the blue guards and the Cebu Provincial Government civil security unit with the security.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and Land Transportation Office in Central Visayas also fielded some personnel to assist passengers in the CSBT.
Last Monday, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Central Visayas (PDEA-7) also conducted surprise drug tests for bus drivers and conductors to ensure the safety of the passengers. (Luel Galarpe/PNA)
