THE Land Transportation Office (LTO) yesterday launched the “Oplan Biyaheng Ayos: Semana Santa and Summer Vacation 2023” in anticipation of the influx of province-bound passengers during the Holy Week.
The LTO likewise placed its personnel on heightened alert starting March 31 until April 10, including weekends.
The Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) said it is anticipating passenger capacity to reach 1.2 million starting next week.
PITX corporate affairs and government relations head Jason Salvador, during the Laging Handa public briefing, assured passengers there will be enough buses to accommodate the anticipated increase in passenger volume.
Salvador said the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has issued special permits to 22 units to augment the supply of buses plying the Bicol Region to serve more passengers.
He added the agency will also deploy on-the-ground personnel to issue special permits to additional buses, real-time, when the need arises.
“We are also working closely with bus companies and transport operators to ensure connectivity and the sufficiency of trips and transport options for all passengers,” he said.
The Oplan Biyaheng Ayos: Semana Santa and Summer Vacation 2023 is being implemented in coordination with other government agencies, among them the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (I-ACT), LTO, LTFRB, and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to ensure the safety of passengers.
LTO chief Jay Art Tugade, in a statement, said the agency is focused on overall road safety, including the roadworthiness inspection of public utility vehicles (PUVs), and will conduct inspections on land transport terminals as well as provide assistance to motorists.
Random drug testing will also be conducted among PUV drivers and conductors.
Tugade said the agency will strictly enforce its mandate under Republic Act 4136 or the “Land Transportation and Traffic Code” and other similar laws and will not hesitate to apprehend motorists who will violate traffic rules and regulations.
Aside from monitoring major roads heading north and south of the National Capital Region, Tugade said LTO personnel will also monitor strategic locations and terminals in all regions of the country.
He also said a seminar will be today for PUV drivers and conductors as part of a campaign on overall road safety for the Holy Week season.
HEALTH RISKS
Ahead of the annual observance of the Holy Week, the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday reminded devotees of the health risks of doing self-flagellation or getting crucified.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said: “Let us avoid them. We have other ways to show our sacrifices for the Lord.”
Vergeire said self-flaggelation or crucifixion may cause infection of wounds that may also result to tetanus, especially when the materials used are not disinfected and sterilized.
She said such acts may likewise result to loss of blood when blood vessels are hit by the nails or other tools used.
And given the dangers caused by traditional Holy Week practices, the DOH called on local government units (LGUs) to be active in monitoring their constituents.
“Hopefully, LGUs can monitor the public doing these activities, and give them advisories and guidance, so that we can avoid unfortunate incidents,” said Vergeire.
In the Philippines, some devotees do self-flagellation or have themselves nailed to crosses as their form of penance during the Holy Week.
CHARITY WORK
Aside from participating in traditional activities like Visita Iglesia and Via Crucis, Caritas Philippines urged the Catholic faithful to do charity works this Holy Week.
In a statement, Caritas Philippines President Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo: “This calls us to journey with Jesus and with one another, to be transfigured by His love and mercy, and to take our brothers and sisters with us and lead them to Him.”
“May this season of Lent be a time of grace and transformation, leading us to a deeper relationship with God, and to love and serve our brothers and sisters in need,” he added.
In particular, the prelate called on the faithful to support the Catholic Church’s “Alay Kapwa” program, the annual Lenten evangelization and fundraising program of the Catholic Church that supports social services for the poor and in need.
“Caritas Philippines urges everyone to take this time for reconciliation, renewal, and Alay Kapwa,” he said, adding: “Reconciliation, Renewal, and Alay Kapwa are inseparable from one another. It is because these are all acts of love.”
Holy Week is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity, wherein the faithful are called to pray, fast, and do charity works.
It is set to begin on April 2 (Palm Sunday) and will end on April 8 (Black Saturday). — With Gerard Naval
