Central bus hub in Parañaque starts operations Tuesday

By Niña P. Calleja
Philippine Daily Inquirer

A team of policemen and personnel from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will be deployed to ensure that Tuesday’s launching of the first centralized bus terminal in the metropolis will go smoothly.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said he had ordered the deployment of 80 of his men to the 1.4-hectare terminal at the Uniwide Coastal Mall in the Reclamation Area in Parañaque City, which would accommodate buses coming from Cavite and Batangas provinces.

In addition, he also asked the National Capital Regional Police Office to assign some men to provide security to the area.

Starting Tuesday, Metro Manila-bound buses coming from Batangas and Cavite will be required to discharge all their passengers at the Southwest Interim Transport Terminal—one of three hubs that President Aquino ordered established to ease traffic in Metro Manila by limiting the entry of provincial buses.

“We are expecting some confusion on the first day of operations. But we promise the public that the transition will be smooth,” Tolentino told reporters on Monday.

Earlier, he asked the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to reduce by eight percent the fares of buses using the terminal since they would not be traveling all the way to Metro Manila.

Tolentino, meanwhile, assured passengers that there would be porters in the area to help them transfer their bags to the public utility vehicles that would take them to their next destination.