Gov’t, airlines gear up for Holy Week

MANILA, Philippines - Government agencies together with airline and toll road operators have laid down measures for the Holy Week.

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has instructed frontline transport agencies to address the anticipated substantial increase in the volume of travelers, particularly those making their yearly trips to and from the provinces in observance of the Holy Week.

In particular, the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) have been issuing special permits for extra routes of bus firms or ships to service additional passengers traveling during the Lenten season.

As of March 21, LTFRB has approved 460 additional bus units to satisfy increased passenger demand in the coming days.

Transportation secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said the OPLAN LigtasBiyahe: Kwaresma 2013 that would be implemented until April 2 would ensure convenient, affordable, reliable, efficient, and safe travel for motorists and commuters this Holy Week.

“We expect many people to travel to their hometowns or to holiday destinations,” Abaya said.

He said that OPLAN Kwaresma 2013 efforts include beefing up of security and safety measures in all transportation facilities such as seaports, airports, railway stations, and bus terminals.

The program also involves setting up help desks and assistance networks in all major land, air and sea passenger terminals across the country as well as in strategic areas in the regions to guarantee hassle-free trips for commuters and motorists.

He added that real-time information on transport incidents and other updates such as flight cancellations and the expressway traffic situation would be made available using social media.

Lawyer Nic Conti, MARINA officer in charge administrator ensured that there are enough ships for people travelling to their hometowns by sea.

“I have already allowed shipping companies to increase the frequency of their trips and to deploy additional bottoms in areas with heavy concentration of passengers by way of special permits,” Conti said.

He said the agency has coordinated with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to make sure that only seaworthy vessels would sail during the Lenten season.

“Unseaworthy vessels will be grounded and detained. In line with this, MARINA is conducting additional inspections of vessels to ensure they have the valid permits and safety certificates before they are allowed to sail,” Conti said.

MARINA records show that sea passenger volume increases by up to 30 percent during the Holy Week compared to regular days. The government wants to make sure that there will be no overloading of vessels.

On the other hand, budget airline Cebu Air Inc. (Cebu Pacific) vice president for marketing and distribution Candice Iyog said the airline is ready to service higher volume passenger, of which about 73 percent are traveling to domestic routes while 27 percent are going abroad.

“We expect to serve over 340,000 passengers during the Holy Week period. Traffic to leisure destinations such as Boracay, Coron and Dumaguete is high. Internationally, we expect high loads this Holy Week for Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Macau routes,” Iyog said.

The airline would mount additional flights to Hong Kong, Legazpi, Naga and Puerto Princesa during the Holy Week period to accommodate demand.  It would also increase the summer frequencies to Tagbilaran (Bohol), Tacloban, Kalibo, Bacolod, Cebu, Davao, Singapore, and Bangkok.

She said that Cebu Pacific has carried more than a million passengers for the months of April and May for the past two years.