This Holy Week, lots of people were trying to go home or visit their families, and because of that, the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange — also known as PITX — was extremely crowded!
People were lining up for hours just to catch a bus ride to their hometowns. One traveler, Girlie Pajarin, said she had to wait in line for a long time just to buy a ticket to Daet, Camarines Norte. Her cousin even tried to book a ticket online to save time!
Another family — Wilmar Binos, his wife, kids, and their pet dog — were on their way to Tabaco, Albay. They were excited to join a religious procession and spend some time at the beach too. But with so many people around, getting there wasn’t easy.
Some travelers weren’t so lucky. Glen Obrado, who was supposed to go to Biliran, Leyte, got really frustrated. His bus was scheduled for 2 p.m., but even after waiting, it still hadn’t arrived.
Another woman, Norma Reveldez, looked so tired. She just wanted to sit down and sleep because the waiting was too much.
PITX said that buses were supposed to come every 30 minutes, but because there were so many passengers, everything got delayed.
On Holy Tuesday alone, PITX was expecting around 200,000 people to pass through! That’s like filling a huge stadium — twice!
Some bus companies were already fully booked from April 12 to 18, so walk-in passengers had to wait even longer.
Kolyn Calbasa, a PITX official, explained that they were ready for the big crowd. They added extra bus trips and even got special permits from the LTFRB (the group that makes sure transportation rules are followed) just to help more people travel.
To make sure everyone was safe, police officers set up help desks and did random checks to make sure that all the buses and drivers were safe and ready for the road.
So if you’re traveling during Holy Week, it’s best to plan ahead, book early, and bring a lot of patience — because everyone’s trying to get home, just like you.
