Different sectors of the government concerned with the safety and security of the public announced in a joint press conference this Tuesday that various programs have already taken place to avoid issues in observance of Holy Week.

Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla noted that the conference was carried out to avoid agencies from blaming one another in the event that an issue takes place.

“We have united to launch a peaceful commute for the public this holy week, every year the issue is we pass along the problem,” said Remulla.

“We are all together, we all planned, and our goal is the same, to ensure that everyone remains safe,” he added.

Among the joint initiatives of the DILG, Department of Transportation, Department of Public Works and Highways, and the Philippine National Police was to ensure that all roads throughout the country were passable.

Vince Dizon, Secretary of the DPWH, said that reconstruction of the country’s congested roads such as Maharlika Highway, the longest road network in the country, were completed in recent weeks.

With the coming exodus, Dizon noted that he had instructed district engineers to temporarily halt their operations until Easter Sunday, April 5, to avoid traffic.

Meanwhile, the DOTr Secretary Giovanni Lopez explained that they implemented different initiatives to assist both the commuter base and drivers.

Lopez said that they had granted thousands special permits for provincial bus terminals that need additional buses to cater to the influx of passengers going home to their respective provinces.

Aside from land transport, he shared that the Philippine Coast Guard had been tapped to safeguard ports and to provide transportation for passengers that have become stranded due to the lack of boats as a result of the oil crisis.

As for the PNP, Police Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez said that 98,000 PNP personnel have been deployed in key areas to provide security and assistance.

Despite the ongoing crisis in the country, an estimated five million Filipinos are expected to travel to and from Metro Manila in the coming days.