THE Mactan airport is ready for the influx of passengers who are expected to travel during Holy Week, which starts on Sunday, April 2, 2023.
Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) general manager and chief executive officer Julius Neri Jr. told SunStar Cebu on Friday, March 31, 2023, they expect a 20 percent increase in passenger volume during this period.
Neri said the MCIAA will implement “Operation Biyaheng Ayos” from Sunday, April 2, to Monday, April 10, during which the airport will intensify its security measures, increase information dissemination as well as provide assistance to passengers.
“This is for both domestic and international, we will install help desks that will be manned by our medical personnel, public information office to answer queries of passengers and to provide medical assistance to seniors as needed. We will also deploy wheelchairs,” he said in Cebuano.
Neri said they will see to it that there is enough transportation, such as taxis and buses, to cater to arriving passengers.
For international travels, Neri said they already coordinated with the Bureau of Immigration, Bureau of Customs and Bureau of Quarantine to add more personnel in the airport to ensure smooth transactions.
He said they have also increased the number of uniformed security officers roving the airport vicinity, making them more visible.
“At the same time, we have intelligence officers in plainclothes to monitor the situation. So security is heightened because there will be a lot of people,” he said in Cebuano.
Neri encouraged travelers and passengers to come early to avoid long lines at the boarding gate and to bring extra money, food and water in case their flights are delayed.
In Cebu City, up to 60,000 passengers are expected to flock to the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) in the days ahead until the Holy Week.
CSBT head Carmen Quijano announced Thursday, March 30, the management is now preparing for the influx of passengers, especially over the long weekend.
Aside from making sure that the terminal is clean, Quijano also asked the Capitol to assign additional security personnel who can assist in the security and order.
After reports of bus conductors fighting over their passengers, Quijano urged drivers and conductors to make sure that their passengers board safely.
“It happened not here in the terminal, but it started somewhere. One said don’t get all the passengers like that, so I pacified them,” Quijano said in a mix of Cebuano and English.
She added that it is necessary for the bus personnel to earn the trust of their passengers, especially local and foreign tourists who would travel this Holy Week.
Under Proclamation 90, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared April 6 and 7, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, as regular holidays.
He also moved the commemoration of Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor), which is a regular holiday, to April 10, Monday, instead of April 9, which is a Sunday. (EHP / ANV, TPT)