Passengers told: Don’t bring banned items

CEBU, Philippines — Don’t bring sharp objects inside the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) to avoid hassle and delays.

Joey Herrera, the bus terminal manager, gave this reminder as thousands of people are expected flock CSBT to heed to the provinces for the observance of the All Saints’ Day and Souls’ Day celebration, collectively called “Kalag-Kalag.”

“Kining atoang mga pahinante mag dala og gabas, martilyo ug tigib ato gyud ng ipabilin, balikon lang nila human sa okasyon. Para dili sila mahasol we have to inform them otherwise the sharp objects will be confiscated,” he said.

To ensure they will no longer be inconvenienced during checks at the gates of the terminal, Herrera also reminded the public not to seal their boxes tightly for easy inspections.

“The public should be aware of what not to bring inside the terminal to avoid inconvenience,” he said.

Prohibited items are bladed weapons and other sharp objects, firearms, Firecrackers and pyrotechnics, and butane containers.

Herrera also urged the passengers to also remain vigilant and to observe terminal rules to ensure smooth and organized operations.

He said they will heighten the visibility of blue guards and police personnel inside the terminal.

He said they will designate a holding area for priority passengers, such as pregnant women, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities, among others.

“But we will limit at least 15 priority passengers per bus to accommodate the regular passengers,” he said, adding that seat reservations are not allowed.

The management will install portalets and tents for the queues of passengers. This is to ensure that there will be no line outside the terminal.

They will also put up railings and signs to guide passengers heading south and west.

The regular weekend trips have 650 bus trips with at least 29,250 passengers. Each bus trip has at least 45 passengers.

CSBT has 300 buses in a regular day.

Herrera said the Cebu City government assured to dispatch two Kaohsiung buses and one bus from Capitol to ferry stranded southbound Cebu passengers, especially those who waited more than two hours, similar to what was done last year.

The terminal management is expecting a high number of passengers starting next week and on November 2 when people are expected to return to the city from their respective hometowns. (FREEMAN)