By John Rey Saavedra/Philippine News Agency
CEBU CITY – The management of the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) has heightened its security measures as a huge volume of passengers started to swarm on Holy Wednesday for the Lenten vacation.
Jonathan Tumulak, CSBT operations manager, said the provincial government of Cebu has anticipated the deluge of passengers who would usually take their Holy Week break to southern Cebu.
“The provincial capitol has augmented our existing 100 CSBT personnel with 50 more, in anticipation of the influx of passengers,” Tumulak told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in a phone interview.
The existing staff of the terminal and personnel from the Civil Security Unit (CSU) of the provincial capitol are tasked to assist the passengers while boarding, he said. “They will manage the queue of the passengers in loading them to the buses.”
Col. Manuel Abrugena, Cebu Provincial Police Office chief, deployed uniformed police officers to help in maintaining peace and order inside the south bus terminal.
Likewise, the Cebu City Police Office, under Col. Royina Garma, deployed uniformed police officers to man the immediate vicinity outside the terminal.
Tumulak said his office has been closely monitoring, along with the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) in Central Visayas, the implementation of measures to ensure the safety of travelers using the south bus terminal.
“We expected 41,000 plus passengers who will take their ride to southern Cebu today (Wednesday), April 17. This was the same number that swarmed the terminal in last year’s Holy Wednesday,” Tumulak said in Cebuano.
“That number is expected because Holy Wednesday is usually the end of the work week for the Holy Week brake of companies. Those who still have work today (Wednesday) will take a half-day leave so that they can catch up with the scheduled trip of buses in the afternoon,” he said.
Tumulak added that part of their preparatory measures was to impose an open bag policy that requires passengers who are carrying luggages or backpacks to open them before they are allowed to get in.
The terminal also prohibits carrying of gun, bladed items, butane canisters, and firecrackers inside the terminal premises, he added.
Passengers are likewise enjoined to follow the proper line in boarding the bus. Reservation through a companion or by placing a bag on the seat is not allowed.
The management of the terminal also imposed a priority passenger policy which gives persons with disability, senior citizens, pregnant, and passengers carrying an infant with a special designated area, but limited only to one companion per passenger.
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