As you should probably know by now, we’re officially into the second coming of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the Philippines. This time around, though, the ECQ only covers Greater Manila—Metro Manila and the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal—rather than the entire country.
That said, various modes of public transport have been limited in the ECQ bubble as well as in neighboring areas, so moving around will be difficult, even for essential workers.
For its part, the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) has announced that it will remain operational throughout this ECQ period as well as during the Holy Week despite the limited operations of public transportation. This should be good news for frontliners who still need to commute around Greater Manila over the next few days.
“Most of our passengers at PITX are part of the workforce; they are essential workers who need public transportation to be available so they can earn for a living, especially in this time of pandemic. We’ll stay open to be of assistance,” said PITX corporate affairs and government relations head Jason Salvador. “It’s business as usual for us this time. We have the commitment of our transport partners, and we are also actively working with the government to make sure that our passengers can go home safely.”
The PITX management will be requiring all commuters to wear face masks and face shields at all times, and a 1.5- to two-meter physical distancing will be enforced. Passengers will also undergo temperature checks and shoe disinfection prior to entry to the terminal.
All persons entering PITX must also bring with them any valid ID as well as supporting documents like certificates of employments or necessary quarantine passes, if these are issued by their local government units. These will be also be checked by transport operators before boarding the PUVs.
You can read our previous stories for the full guidelines on public transport during this second ECQ period as well as for the complete list of authorized persons outside of residence (APORs). Stay safe out there, everyone.
