EDITORIAL - Ensuring safe travels

For the first time since the COVID lockdowns in 2020, people are free to travel again this holiday season, with no restrictions or health safety requirements. Not surprisingly, travel nationwide whether by land, air and sea is approaching pre-pandemic levels.

At the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, administrators are projecting a daily average of 160,000 to 170,000 passengers this Christmas week. Air travel is also up, with local carriers operating at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport reporting the return of up to 93 percent of pre-pandemic business particularly for domestic flights.

The lines are also long at shipping ports, with roll-on, roll-off vessels favored for interisland travel. The Philippine Coast Guard has deployed additional personnel to ports including smaller ones used by light ferries and pump boats, which are the principal means of transport for some islands.

Some of the worst transportation accidents by land and sea in this country occurred during the Christmas holiday rush. Apart from overloading, the merrymaking marked by drinking sprees on some vessels has led to horrific disasters, such as the collision between the oil tanker Vector and the ferry Doña Paz at the Tablas Strait on Dec. 20, 1987.

With 4,386 people killed, the collision remains classified as the deadliest peacetime maritime disaster in the world. Reports said the crew of the ferry owned by Sulpicio Lines were drinking and watching television when the collision occurred.

By land, accidents also spike during the holidays. The accidents, many involving trucks and buses, have been attributed to overloading, speeding, malfunctioning brakes on poorly maintained vehicles, and the use of shabu by drivers so they can stay awake for long-haul trips.

With a long string of deadly transport accidents, authorities should already know the drill in ensuring the safety of both passengers and transport personnel. Ships must be properly inspected for seaworthiness, with accurate passenger manifests maintained, life vests provided and cargo properly stowed to prevent fires on board.

Land transport vehicles must be properly maintained especially for long journeys, with alternates on board to replace exhausted or sleepy drivers.

At the same time, everyone must remember that COVID is still around, with highly transmissible new strains posing risks particularly for the vulnerable elderly, those with comorbidities and the unvaccinated or lacking boosters. Holiday gatherings and merrymaking must not lead to illness and death.