THOUSANDS of passengers trooped to Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) on Wednesday to get a ride to their respective hometowns in southern Cebu for the Holy Week break.
Jonathan Tumulak, Cebu City Traffic Office operations chief, said that more passengers are expected to flock the bus terminal on Maundy Thursday.
He said about 30,000 passengers are expected to flock CSBT for the Holy Week.
CSBT operations manager Joey Herrera said the 'first come, first serve' policy is properly implemented, adding that a priority lane is set for persons with disabilities, senior citizens, and pregnant women.
To ensure order inside the terminal, the Provincial Government have deployed personnel to help guide passengers to their designated waiting area.
Some observed the smooth flow of passengers inside the bus terminal on Wednesday.
“Mas gamay ra ang taw karon compared tomorrow (Thursday); ug mas grabe to ang last year. Smooth ra ang flow sa passenger (karun),” Shienna Fausto, a passenger bound for Dalaguete.
“So far, okay raman kay they decided to turn on the aircon so na alleviate ang heat. Dili kay siya stressful. Okay ra ang process, di kayo siya dugay,” said Christine Baldesco, a passenger bound for Dalaguete.
Tumulak said that assigned personnel from Philippine National Police, Special Weapon and Tactics (Swat) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and Provincial Risk Reduction Management Council are deployed in the terminal to ensure the safety of the riding public.
Senior Police Officer 1 Espina Esperidion, member of the Cebu City Police Office's (CCPO) Swat, said tight security is implemented inside the terminal.
Esperidion said they did not detect any threats as of Wednesday afternoon.
“For now, okay raman ang terminal, peaceful ra pero di lang gihapon ta mo kumpyansa. Maglisud sila ug pangawat kay daghan ang nagbantay sa terminal,” said Tumulak. (Jessa May Bidong and Chirley Mae Binanlao, Cebu Normal University Communication Interns/VoxPop Philippines)