Officials from the Philippine Coast Guard, Land Transportation Office and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board inspected sea vessels and public utility vehicles in Bacolod City yesterday to ensure the safety of travelers this Holy Week.

Elmar Defensor, LTO Bacolod law enforcement services chief, said his team inspected buses and mini-buses to ensure that these are in good running condition, and that their brakes are working properly.

Defensor said they also noted that the seatbelts of four buses of Vallacar transit are already defective, but the transportation firm assured they would fix them.

He said that Vallacar transit also assured enough buses to convey travelers. He added that as of yesterday there has been no influx of passengers yet at the bus terminals.

LTO and LTFRB will also implement strictly the no-registration, no- travel policy effective today, where vehicles will not be allowed to ply the city streets if the drivers fail to present certifications of stock report, sales invoice and certificates of travel insurance.

Meanwhile, several fast crafts and roll on-roll off vessels travelling from Bacolod to Panay will stop operations on Good Friday, Philippine Coast Guard Bacolod head, Lt. Commander Glen Daraug, said yesterday.

Daraug said normal operations of these fast-crafts and roll on-roll off vessels will resume Saturday.

While most sea vessels will not operate on Friday, the management of Ocean Jet and Tristar roll on-roll off vessels will continue operations but there will be limited trips, he said.

As of yesterday, there was no influx of passengers at the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corporation Port in Bacolod yet and they expect travelers to flock by noontime today.

Frank Carbon, manager of the Weesam express fast craft, had earlier said that roll on-roll off vessels and fast craft in western visayas are not eyeing a fare hike even with the influx of passengers expected this holy week, since fuel costs have gone down.

Economy class one-way tickets for fast craft are sold at P300, first class tickets are at P400, while fares for roll on-roll off vessels are between P70 and P120.

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