DOTC maps out action plan for safe holiday travel

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has mapped out its action plan “Oplan Ligtas na Krismas” to ensure safe, affordable and convenient transportation to all travelers who will go around the country this Christmas season.

The DOTC, in coordination with its 19 attached agencies, will launch tomorrow Oplan Ligtas na Krismas project which will last until Jan. 3, 2012.

The implementation of the program is in anticipation of a marked increase in passenger volume during the holidays.

During a command conference held at the DOTC office in Mandaluyong last Friday, Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas gave explicit orders to the 19 attached agencies of the department, particularly the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), Metro Rail Transit (MRT), Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Land Transportation Office (LTO), Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), Philippine National Railways (PNR) and the Office for Transportation Security (OTS).

The said agencies were tasked to come up with creative and effective programs to ensure the safe travel of people during the festive season, whether by land, air or sea transport.

“It’s the time of the year when families reunite and enjoy the spirit of Christmas,” Roxas said.

“Just like in the ‘Oplan Ligtas na Undas’ campaign, the DOTC is playing an active role to make sure that our people can travel back to their respective hometowns and be with their loved ones safely, in the most convenient manner,” Roxas added.

The core of Ligtas na Krismas will be the nationwide implementation by the LTO and LTFRB of a free drug test for bus drivers plying to and from the cities of Metro Manila, Cebu and Bacolod.

Under the project, the LTO and LTFRB officers will conduct random drug testing of drivers at bus terminals where there will be the heaviest local passenger traffic during the Christmas break.

Similar to the highly successful Oplan Ligtas na Undas, the LTO and LTFRB will be partnering with bus companies and Pro Convenient Services Drivers’ License Renewal Center and Drug Testing Laboratory Owners’ Association, Inc., the umbrella organization conducting drug testing nationwide.

The drug testing will be conducted from Dec. 21-23 when the volume of holiday travelers is expected to swell at bus terminals. Similar drug testing campaigns will also be done on Jan. 2-3, 2012 to ensure that travelers return home safely.

“We will continue with this program during the other holiday breaks such as the observance of Holy Week next year when people travel in large numbers,” Roxas said.