The Davao City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) said there will be no road closures but motorists will have to expect one-way lanes on roads that will be used for the five-day Holy Week activities of 16 churches, starting on Palm Sunday, April 10, 2022. A total of 925 personnel will be deployed to control and manage traffic and the crowd.
CTTMO chief Dionisio Abude, in an interview with Byaheng Do30 on Thursday, April 7, said: “Ang atong opisina nag-prepare ta og deployment plan. Naa ta’y gi-identify na mga 16 ka mga churches, mao na’ng mag-celebrate, duna sila’y mga activities (Our office prepared a deployment plan. We identified 16 churches that will be celebrating, they have activities).”
He said aside from Palm Sunday, the CTTMO will also man other activities on Maundy Thursday, April 14; stations of the cross on Good Friday, April 15; Black Saturday on April 16; and Easter Sunday on April 17.
A Palm Sunday procession will kick off from the Rizal Park to Bolton and back to the San Pedro Cathedral.
“Wala’y road closure except for San Pedro Cathedral sa sugat sa Easter Sunday. Dili ni ingon duna gyud road closure. Adjust lang siguro ta. Ubay-ubay ang mga tao na ibutang nato aron makontrol ug ma manage nga maagian ang pikas lane kung duna’y motorista (There’s no road closure except around San Pedro Cathedral for Easter Sunday. It’s not really road closure. We just have to adjust. We’ll deploy a lot of personnel to control and manage so the other lane can be used by motorists),” Abude said, adding that only a portion of C.M. Recto Street and Bolton Street will be closed.
About 925 CTTMO personnel are ready for dispatch in 16 city churches – 49 at the San Pablo Parish, 84 at the San Pedro Cathedral, 77 at the Shrine of the Holy Infant Jesus of Prague, and 52 at St. Jude Thaddeus Parish, 50 at Sta. Ana Parish, 73 at the Redemptorist Church, 59 at the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 51 at Our Lady of Fatima Parish, 56 at St. Francis of Assisi, 51 at the Ascension of the Lord Parish Davao, 48 at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Bangkal, 48 at San Antonio de Padua in Agdao, 48 at the Carmelite Monastery, 63 at St. Joseph the Worker Parish, and 42 at the San Lorenzo Ruiz Parish Church in Talomo.
Abude said preparing a traffic plan is important since the stations of the cross will cover several routes in the city and traffic personnel will have to ensure the roads are safe for both participants and motorists.
He added, “Usahay ma-occupy man gud… matag church magprovide mga marshalls pero duna’y uban maglabang-labang occupy sa pikas kinahanglan ma-manage nato (Sometimes the other lane will also be occupied although other churches provide their marshalls, some participants still cross the other lane intended for motorists that’s why we need to manage it).”
Abude also urged motorists to be patient and give consideration to stations of the cross participants if they cannot easily manage people to stick to their lane. He reminded motorists to drive safely to prevent accidents and for Dabawenyos who will join Holy Week activities of churches to keep wearing their face masks and maintain a safe distance from others to protect themselves from the transmission of COVID-19. CIO
