THE management of the North Bus Terminal has belied information circulating online that the terminal will be closed on Monday, March 23, 2020.
Zosimo Jumao-as, general manager of the terminal, said their operations will continue as they have not received any order to close the terminal.
“An employee from Mandaue even went to the terminal, conducted an inspection and informed us of the executive order of the mayor but he didn’t order us to close,” Jumao-as said in a mix of Cebuano and English.
In a separate interview, lawyer John Eddu Ibañez, executive secretary to Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, said the mayor has not issued an order to close the terminal as a means to fight the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Jumao-as said that while they will not file charges against the netizen who spread the fake news about the closure, he advised the public to trust only legitimate sources of information.
He added that although their profits have dwindled, it would be difficult for them to close the terminal as there are still a lot of passengers who regularly go home to northern Cebu.
“Unsaon naman lang na ang mga manguli og probinsya? Pabaktason nalang nimo na (What about those who will have to go home to the provinces? Will you just let them walk)?” said Jumao-as.
He disclosed that they are only earning half of their usual income because they have reduced their operating hours.
Before local government units implemented measures against the spread of Covid-19, the terminal’s operations were 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Now, the first schedule of departure for public utility vehicles is at 5 a.m. while the last trip is at 11 p.m.
However, the food stalls at the terminal will close at 8 p.m. in compliance with Cortes’ Executive Order 65 mandating an early closure of business establishments, a seven-hour curfew starting at 10 p.m. and strict implementation of social distancing, among others.
On Friday, March 20, the mayor issued Executive Order 65 temporarily suspending operations of selected private establishments. (KFD)