The help of the police and local government units is needed to manage the influx of passengers at bus terminals and waiting areas, following the resumption of operations of public transport yesterday in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City, which are now under General Community Quarantine.
Huge volumes of passengers at bus terminals and waiting areas, were noted in various parts of Negros Occidental and Bacolod City yesterday. Worse, many among the riding public did not observe physical distancing and others were not wearing face masks.
Alarmed by the huge volume of passengers yesterday at bus terminals, especially in the cities of Victorias, La Carlota, Cadiz and Hinigaran, Vallacar Transit Inc. that operates Ceres Liner passenger buses in Negros Occidental, sought the help of the police and LGUs who deployed enforcement units to assist them.
Ceres Liner buses yesterday resumed operations to various areas of Negros Occidental with limited passengers in observance of health protocols prescribed by the government Inter Agency Task Force.
Hundreds of passengers were stranded, some for hours, due to lack of public transport vehicles.
Passengers in bus terminals and the different waiting areas in Negros Occidental were reported not to be observing the required health protocols as they scrambled for seats in public transport vehicles.
VTI media relations officer Jade Seballos said they have noted that majority of the passengers ignored strict safety protocols at all company-owned terminals.
“They were more eager to get a ride than thinking of their own safety”, Seballos said.
She urged the riding public to think first of their safety.
Col. Romeo Baleros, provincial police director of Negros Occidental, who personally visited and checked the situation in some bus terminals in southern Negros, said he was dismayed that there are still Negrenses who ignore minimum requirements on health protocols such as wearing of face masks and physical distancing.
Baleros reiterated his order to police chiefs in various towns and cities of Negros Occidental to strictly enforce physical distancing and other COVID-19 health protocols. Ironically, no one was arrested yesterday for such violations.
Seballos admitted that the resumption of their operations was also hampered by the lack of available drivers, who are mostly non-residents of Bacolod City, and failed to report for duty due to unavailability of public transport.
She expects that their operations may slowly go back to normal, starting today.
While they have already established precautionary measures to protect the riding public and their employees, Seballos said they need the cooperation of the public.*
BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
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