DOTr, BFP on heightened alert for Kalag-Kalag
Starting Monday, October 30, all transport agencies will be on a heightened alert in preparation for All Saints’ and Souls’ Days on November 1 and 2.
The heightened status will run until November 6 as part of the measures for the Oplan Biyaheng Ayos: Undas 2017.
The Department of Transportation and its attached offices and agencies have been ordered to man all transport terminals, booths, and counters throughout the eight-day "monitored travel period" to prevent long queues and other untoward incidents.
The DOTr has also ordered the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to issue special permits for additional bus service three days before All Saints’ Day.
LTFRB-7 Director Ahmed Cuizon said that as of yesterday, he has already issued 50 special permits for buses to travel from Cebu City to Simala, Bato, Pinamungajan, Balamban, Mantalongon in southern Cebu, and Cebu City to Mandridejos in the north.
Cuizon added that his agency has inspected 43 units of GT Express vans at the Kamagayan terminal in Cebu City.
“In Kamagayan, very minor deficiencies such as lack of sticker markings, misplaced stickers and nonuniformed drivers,” Cuizon noted after the inspection.
For the past four days, LTFRB-7, together with the Land Transportation Office-7, has inspected 25 mini buses and 55 buses at the Cebu South Bus Terminal in Cebu City and 15 mini buses, five GT Express vans, and 20 buses at the North Bus Terminal in Mandaue City.
Personnel from these offices have also inspected eight GT Express vans and 15 jeepneys at the Danao City Terminal.
No major deficiencies were noted during these various inspections, said Cuizon.
Meanwhile, to ensure a fire-free observance of this year’s All Saints ‘ Day and All Souls’ Day, the Department of Interior and Local Government has assured that all fire stations under the Bureau of Fire Protection are also on heightened alert status, which started yesterday, October 27, and will run until November 2.
DILG officer-in-charge Catalino Cuy, in a statement, said he has also directed the BFP to conduct fire safety inspections in places where high volumes of people are expected. These places include transport stations and terminals (for land and air transport), marine public transportation facilities and piers, mortuary chapels, columbaria, and public and private cemeteries.
Cuy said ambulances and emergency medical teams from the BFP will also be deployed in public places and other strategic locations for faster response time in case of fire and other related emergencies.
BFP personnel will also conduct community information drive in different areas, distribute flyers on fire safety tips, and announce fire safety precautions through a public address system in public and private cemeteries during the period.
The BFP shared these fire safety tips for zero fire incidence during the KalagKalag or Undas:
Ensure that all light and electrical equipment are unplugged and switched off before leaving the house; clean and clear surroundings of any debris that might cause or attract smoke and fire; make sure that all garbage cans are covered from cigarettes; don’t put lighted candles on top of cartons, plastics, and wood or any material that easily burn;
Keep candles away from curtains, clothes, and paper; ensure that candles are away from kids; make sure that there are no lighted candles before going to sleep or before leaving the house.