Travelers face woes at terminals on Christmas Eve morning

Many passengers continued to arrive at seaports and airports in different parts of the country on Tuesday, Christmas Eve.

At the Northport Passenger Terminal in Manila, some travelers are expecting they will celebrate the traditional Christmas Eve dinner noche buena on ships, according to a report of James Agustin on Unang Balita.

“Wala po e. Ganun talaga tiyaga-tiyaga na lang…Sa barko na lang kami magce-celebrate ng nochebuena,” one of the passengers Myra Laguna said.

(We cannot do anything about it. We need to be patient…We will celebrate Christmas on the ship.)

Some of the passengers had to finish their duty at work before going to the terminal.

At Batangas Port, some passengers slept on the floor and waited up to seven hours to book their trips on Christmas Eve, according to a report of Mariz Umali.

According to the port’s management, the availability of tickets is not continuous to avoid problems on the schedules of trips.

At the BFCT East Metro Transport Terminal in Marikina City, some passengers have been waiting for a day to catch trips, according to Mark Makalalad’s report in Super Radyo dzBB.

The passenger lounge is serving as a makeshift bed for passengers as they wait for buses that can accommodate them. 

“Gusto kasi namin mangyari na makasama ang mga bata sa Pasko at bagong taon,” a female passenger said. “Hindi na po kami aabot…kasi puno na raw ang terminal ng Batangas, sarado na daw po.” 

(We really want to spend Christmas and New Year with the children. But it seems impossible now because the terminal in Batangas is also full.) 

“Kahapon pa po [ako] nung madaling araw, alas kuwatro po,” said passenger John Lawrence, who was contemplating about canceling his holiday trip. 

(I’ve been here since 4 a.m. yesterday.) 

At Davao City Overland Transport Terminal, long lines of travelers built up at the entrance due to the manual inspection of baggage after the scanners broke down amid the holiday rush.

The terminal is open 24 hours even on Christmas Day to accommodate more travelers.

At Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City, some passengers arrived early Tuesday morning after they failed to catch up on their flights on Monday, according to a report of Bam Alegre.

Passengers were stuck in long lines for security checks because only three X-ray scanners were working, the report said.

GMA Integrated News has sought comment from the management of NAIA and airlines about the matter but they have yet to respond as of posting time. — Joviland Rita and Vince Angelo Ferreras/RSJ/VBL, GMA Integrated News