Delays force PITX passengers to spend Christmas Eve in terminals, buses

Due to delays, some passengers have no choice but to spend Christmas Eve at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX), while others expect to spend their Noche Buena during their bus ride home.

According to Oscar Oida's 24 Oras report, many passengers are still trying to return to their respective provinces to spend Christmas with their families and loved ones.

"Galing kami ng Antipolo, dumating kami dito maaga pa mga alas siyete yata iyun. Tapos ang biyahe kasi namin 11:30 ng umaga, Masbate City. Pagpunta ko sa ticketing canceled daw kasi daw darating yung bus na sasakyan namin ala una ng madaling araw pa," said Noel Magalang.

(We are from Antipolo City, and we arrived here early at around seven o'clock. Our trip to Masbate City was supposed to be at 11:30 in the morning. I went  to the ticketing office, they said our trip was canceled because the bus we were supposed to take would only arrive at 1 a.m.)

Nagaland his wife decided to purchase a new ticket but they will have to spend their Noche Buena during the bus ride. 

Meanwhile, the number of passengers has decreased, compared to yesterday, which reached 104,000 by noon.

Earlier, the PITX only reached 86,000 passengers. Despite this, security at the terminal remains strict. 

PITX management does not expect a huge influx of travelers on Christmas Day but sees passenger volume to  increase again after the New Year.

Batangas Port

At the Batangas Port, most passengers were finally able to depart after being delayed due to the large number of people at the port.

Some had to wait for 24 hours before boarding their vessel.

As of 2 p.m., the number of passengers at the pier reached 10,000.

Meanwhile, the long queue of vehicles entering the Batangas Port resembled a parking lot, which management did not expect.

SLEX

It was raining in various parts of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) on Tuesday but despite the weather, traffic flow remains light on Christmas Eve.

In John Consulta's report, towing and emergency units are on standby alongside the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) to assist motorists in case of emergency.

"Napakaluwag po ng mga kalsada natin, ingatan po natin na huwag po tayo masyadong matulin, lalo na ang panahon natin may mga area tayo na maulan at madulas ang kalsada," said Jhun Vitug, Overall Head, Traffic & Security of SLEX Skyway and STAR Tollway.

(Traffic is very light, let's be careful and don't drive too fast, especially in this season when we have areas where it rains and the road is slippery.)

On Friday, San Miguel Corporation (SMC) announced that toll fees on its expressways would be waived during certain hours (10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) for the holidays, covering December 24 to 25, 2024, and December 31, 2024 to January 1,  2025.

NAIA

In contrast to arriving passengers and happy reunions of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and balikbayans with their families, the airport was also filled with scenes of departing Pinoys who will not be able to spend Christmas with their loved ones.

According to JP Soriano's report, most of the passengers who arrived in Manila today were OFWs. Others are at NAIA with flights bound to other countries for work-- leaving their families on Christmas Eve.

Even as arrivals and departures continue, the volume of passengers and visitors at NAIA Terminals 1 and 3 have lessened considerably when compared to the past few days. 

The traffic flow to and from NAIA is also light. —Sherylin Untalan/RF, GMA Integrated News