Government prepares for All Saints' Day travelers

With still 10 days before the All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day holidays, two government agencies are preparing measures to make traveling, both by sea and by land, more comfortable to the public.

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) commandant Vice Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo said yesterday that with the number of sea travelers expected to increase by 40 percent just before Nov. 1 and 2, they would also be increasing their personnel to man major seaports in the country.

“During ordinary days, only about 60 percent of the ships are filled up with passengers, but during these holidays the occupancy rate of ships reach 100 percent. Sometimes, the shipping lines even have to make additional trips to accommodate the spillover of its passengers,” Tamayo said.

He said the PCG will deploy twice the usual number of personnel at major ports. “We would only be assigning the seasoned personnel to man our Passenger Assistance Centers (PACs). This is to ensure the safety and security of the passengers in all ports and ships,” Tamayo said.

He said the preparations comply with the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Memorandum on “Oplan Eagle Eye Project: Oplan Kaluluwa 2008” dated Oct. 15.

The PACs – set up in major ports such as Manila, Batangas, Cebu, Zamboanga, Davao, General Santos and Iloilo – will also be manned by the Maritime Industry Authority, Philippine Ports Authority and the PCG Auxiliary personnel.

Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. announced that they will reactivate the “Lakbay-Alalay” Motorists Assistance Program starting at 6 a.m. on Oct. 31.

In a statement, Ebdane said he has ordered all DPWH regional directors to prepare for the revival of Lakbay Alalay, in anticipation of the influx of motorists traveling to the provinces during the holiday break.

The four-day program will last until noon on Nov. 3. The DPWH will position teams in strategic locations along national highways to respond to emergency road situations and to give updates on the traffic flow every six hours.

In his memorandum, Ebdane also ordered field engineers to ensure that all road sections leading to cemeteries, both public and private, are free from obstruction.

The DOTC will also set up help desks at bus terminals, domestic and international airports, and at the North Harbor as well as deploy personnel at the stations of the Light Rail Transit, Metro Rail Transit, and the Philippine National Railways.

Meanwhile, Navotas City Mayor Toby Tiangco reactivated yesterday the local government’s “Oplan Undas.”

He also reminded city officials of certain prohibitions that should be enforced within the city’s public and private cemeteries, such as bringing liquor and deadly weapons, gambling, entering half-naked, littering, illegally tapping electricity, loud music, dance parties and other raucous activities.

“Let’s respect the dead, Navoteños should bear in mind that Undas (All Saints‘ Day) is both solemn and holy, and that the cemetery is a place where our departed loved ones lay buried in peace,” the mayor said.

City Engineer Miguel Serrano, chairman of the Oplan Undas 2008, said their preparation started as early as the first week of October. 

Tiangco, noting the celebration is often marred by wasteful practices and unabashed littering by undisciplined individuals “right on the hallowed grounds where their loved ones had been laid to rest,” directed his men to apprehend violators of the anti-littering ordinance.

Litterbugs would be meted a fine from P200 to P1,000 and obliged to attend a seminar on city ordinances or render community service. – With Rainier Ronda, Pete Laude