DOGS and cats will no longer be allowed inside the Cebu South and North Bus terminals if they are not caged or wearing a diaper with their mouths muzzled.
Carmen Quijano, manager of both terminals, said passengers going to their hometowns, especially during All Saints Day and All Saints Day on Nov. 1 and 2, respectively, must secure their pets properly to keep them from biting people and from emitting a foul smell if they discharge or pee during the trip.
Live chickens are also banned inside the terminals if they are not kept in bags or cardboard boxes and tied to a rope.
Quijano expects a lot of passengers to go home to their hometowns to spend time with loved ones and visit the dead in cemeteries during the long weekend starting Saturday next week, Oct. 29, 2022, until Wednesday, Nov. 2.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has declared Monday, Oct. 31, a special non-working holiday paving the way for the long weekend as Nov. 1, Tuesday, is also a holiday.
“We will not allow animals like those small dogs that have very long hair which are nice to look at (unless they are kept in a cage or muzzled). Also cats, have been disallowed by the management to go inside if they are not kept in cages. And if there is no cage their mouth should be covered. Why? Because they could bite and that’s dangerous,” Quijano said in Cebuano.
Quijano recalled an incident inside the terminal when a passenger admiring a dog ended up getting bitten when the animal was touched.
“There are instances when we just could not resist touching the animal,” she said.
Help desks
The terminal management is preparing to deploy additional personnel and put up assistance desks to be manned by police and personnel from the Land
Transportation Office and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.
The assistance desks will help ensure the passengers’ smooth travel to their respective destinations.
Quijano said they will also set up tents outside the terminals for passengers lining up while waiting for their rides to protect them from the sun’s heat or from rain.
Quijano then issued this reminder to all passengers: Wear face masks to avoid contracting an illness.(TPT)