00:00 Whether because of lack of opportunity or options, many Filipinos choose the very last
00:05 moment to make the arduous trip to be with family and friends.
00:09 Thus, the result of many people thinking of doing the same thing is causing horrendous
00:14 traffic that is so evident in one of the gateways out of the mega city, the North Luzon Expressway.
00:21 Joshua Garcia tells us more.
00:25 During Holy Week, there is the expected surge of people traveling back to their respective
00:30 provinces.
00:31 As such, motorists have to endure heavy traffic flow entering the expressway or freeway.
00:35 According to NLEX traffic management head Robin Ignacio, they have raised their barriers
00:40 at the tall booths to alleviate the congestion of vehicles while also opening up zipper lanes
00:45 for northbound vehicles.
00:46 We don't have an obstruction but we have implemented a counterflow from here to the
00:53 exit of Balintawak and the re-entry of our counterflow is through Maykawayan.
00:58 So our motorists who will exit Paso de Blas and Maykawayan should be here in the rightmost
01:05 lane.
01:06 The number of more arrests on NLEX may increase further, especially those heading out of Metro
01:10 Manila due to additional vacationers catching up.
01:13 More than 300,000 here in NLEX and more than 70,000 in Esitex.
01:18 But of course, this particular increase in hours until later tonight, it may be higher
01:26 than 10 percent if we compare it to bare hours.
01:30 The NLEX management also urges motorists to ensure the roadworthiness not only of their
01:35 vehicles but also of themselves, as drivers, to avoid delays in their trips.
01:39 They also mentioned that real-time updates on tall plaza situations can be found on their
01:44 official Facebook page, NLEX Corporation, where travelers can adjust their departure
01:49 times and avoid getting caught in the influx of vehicles.
01:52 Even if we have to queue up both our CAST lanes and RFID lanes here in Balintawakan,
01:59 our RFID lanes are still faster and there is a chance that we will be barriered so it
02:06 is still faster to go here to RFID.
02:08 The NLEX tollways management expects to fully implement the 100 percent RFID lanes at their
02:13 toll plazas in the second half of this year once the Toll Regulatory Board releases the
02:18 guidelines.
02:19 Meanwhile, Naia Terminal 2 experienced a three-hour and 16-minute power disruption affecting air
02:25 handling units in the departure area due to power fluctuations.
02:29 However, check-in counters, boarding bridges, baggage systems, and security screening continued
02:34 normally with no flight delays.
02:36 To mitigate heat discomfort, industrial fans were installed and bottled water was provided.
02:42 The airport chief apologized for the inconvenience and promised proactive maintenance to prevent
02:46 future occurrences.
02:47 There has also been an increase in passengers at the airport.
02:51 The MIA reported a significant increase of over 17,000 passengers with more than 10,000
02:57 on domestic flights and over 7,000 on international flights compared to last year.
03:01 Strict security measures are being enforced at the airport with deployed airport police
03:06 and K-units ensuring passenger safety.
03:08 CAP guarantees no flight disruptions during the holy week with contingency plans in place
03:13 and all systems operational.
03:15 No flight cancellations have been reported thus far.
03:18 Joshua Garcia from the National TV Network for a new and better Philippines.
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