Daily Tribune
Millions of Filipinos began to troop to their hometowns for the long weekend and holiday break Saturday after President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. declared 30 October 2023 as a special non-working day throughout the country for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
November 1 and 2, meanwhile, are special non-working days to allow the public to observe All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day.
Commuters have been flocking to bus terminals since Friday for provincial bus trips which have been fully booked since 21 October, according to bus companies.
Land Transportation Office Chief Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II joined Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista on a visit to bus terminals on Friday to inspect the road-worthiness of public utility vehicles, particularly passenger buses.
Bautista and Mendoza made the inspection at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, where around 1.6 million passengers are expected to depart from 27 October to 6 November.
"Gusto nating matiyak ang kaligtasan ng bawat pasahero lalo na at halos lahat sa kanila ay uuwi sa kani-kanilang probinsya to exercise their right to vote for the barangay and SK elections. I also instructed the LTFRB to ensure that there will be sufficient number of buses in order to ensure delay or passengers being stranded in terminals," said Bautista.
The high alert status will be maintained for land transportation offices under the DOTr until next week when the Filipinos return to their work, added Bautista.
Mendoza, for his part, said part of the road-worthiness inspection was to ensure that vehicles would not encounter any problems that could lead to the delay in transportation and even accidents.
Also included in the inspection, according to Mendoza, was to ensure that bus drivers are not under the influence of any substance that may compromise the safety of the passengers.
"Ito naman ang talagang goal natin, to ensure that our kababayan will be safe on their way to their home provinces and on their way back to their places of work and schools when the long weekend ends," said Mendoza.
"We also advise our riding public to inform us of any misbehavior on the road. We have hotlines and they can even tag our office on Facebook and other social media accounts. Magtulong-tulong po tayo para sa road safety," he added.
Mendoza said road safety inspections are being done on a regular basis since he assumed the top LTO post late July this year, adding that a number of vehicles have been impounded and several public utility vehicle drivers apprehended and charged after testing positive during the surprise drug tests held as part of LTO road safety inspections.
For this long weekend and holiday break, Mendoza said he has instructed all LTO regional directors to intensify the road-worthiness inspections in bus terminals.
"May long weekend o holiday man o wala, regular ang ating inspeksyon dahil ang pagtitiyak ng kaligtasan ng lahat ay isang mandato ng inyong LTO," Mendoza said.
At the South Luzon Expressway, additional toll operators have been deployed in anticipation of more motorists traveling this weekend, Toll Regulatory Board spokesperson Julius Corpuz said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.
The North Luzon Expressway has been just as busy, NLEX Corporation senior traffic manager Robin Ignacio said.
"Motorists' arrival [at NLEX] is continuous. The start [of the influx of motorists] started before 3 a.m. yesterday, we think," he said.
