CEBU, Philippines - Commuters be warned: The management of the Cebu South Bus Terminal is anticipating a shortage of buses during this weekend which also happens to be All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
Eddie Dusaban Sr., acting operations manager of the CSBT, said he is not discounting this possibility as the number of passengers normally increases during the weekend, then there are the two holidays.
He explained that the problem starts when buses arrive late at the terminal, often due to either traffic or their far destination.
Currently, there are 285 buses at the CSBT. Dusaban said he is eyeing to request more from the bus operators, if needed.
He has also requested the Capitol and towns to have their Suroy-Suroy buses ready to transport free of charge to passengers who cannot be accommodated on buses.
As part of the preparation in the CSBT, Dusaban said the window glasses in the passenger lounge have already been removed to prevent sultry environment inside the lounge since its air-conditioning units bogged down.
Electric fans were installed for the meantime, pending the replacement of the air-conditioning units.
“Nagplano man ang Capitol nga alisdan ni. Pero for the meantime, aron ang mga pasahero nga manguli karong kalag-kalag di alimuotan, mao among gitangtang, open-air na siya,” Dusaban explained.
The CSBT management also erected tents for the passengers outside the waiting area in case of rain. Railings and signage were also put up to sort out passengers according to their destination.
The elderly, pregnant, persons with disabilities, and those traveling with small children will be assigned priority lanes.
Dusaban said a dry run of this was conducted last October 18 as the number of passengers to the terminal suddenly increased like it was peak season.
“Blessing in disguise pud to og unsaon pag-organize ang mga pasahero,” he said.
The terminal management is expecting a high number of passengers from October 28 until November 2.
CSBT has requested for the deployment of additional security guards from the Capitol and its Civil Security Units personnel, members of the Philippine National Police, K9 units, and Citizen Police Auxiliary Group to augment the security in the areas, as well as to control the crowd.
They will man the area in three shifts per day, Dusaban said.
Apart from the security personnel, CSBT also requested the Provincial Health Office to man the health stations inside the terminal.
When The FREEMAN visited the terminal yesterday morning, everything went smoothly since number of passengers was still low.
Monette Abellanosa, of Basak Pardo, who habitually goes home to Boljoon with her two small children to observe the All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, said she encountered no problem. But she also said she hopes the terminal management will enforce an orderly flow of passengers since most often people get confused and join the wrong line.
Reminders
Dusaban reminded the passengers to attend to their belongings and always put their backpacks in front of them. He said long lines are expected to reach outside the terminal during peak seasons and incidents of pickpocketing and snatching are often reported.
Last Friday two women reported to his office that their wallets disappeared while inside the comfort room in the terminal.
“Diha po’y Amerikana, nagdala og pitaka sa sulod sa CR, gibitay ra daw. Paggawas niya nalimtan, pagbalik niya, nawala gyod. Ingon siya nga bahala lang daw din-a mauli ang kwarta, basta ang dokumento lang sulod ato,” he said.
Watch your waste
The EcoWaste Coalition, a waste and pollution watchdog, is appealing to administrators of private and public cemeteries to actively promote waste prevention and reduction during the observance of All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day.
The coalition, in a statement, said that despite polite reminders for everyone to be respectful of the dead, cemeteries become instant landfills as millions pay homage to their departed ones during these days.
“Our tradition of visiting the graves of our deceased re-latives and friends is oftentimes marred by wastes generated by the tons. This year’s Undas, we hope to see a more authentic expression of our respect for the dead by keeping the abode of their remains waste-free,” said Christina Vergara, Zero Waste Campaigner.— with Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/BRP (FREEMAN)