The said plan is a national requirement for the operation of a bus terminal.
DCOTT Manager Aisa Usop in a report from the City Information Office (CIO) said OTS Chairman Undersecretary Raul L. del Rosario signed the DCOTT’s land transport security manual after a revision of the initial proposal on February 24, 2022.
Usop said the plan which took them six months to formulate is a collaborative effort between the DCOTT, City Transport and Traffic Management (CTTMO), Public Security and Safety Command Center (PSSCC), and other local and national agencies concerned with public security.
“Actually, we had to undergo a tough process. We really had to train in order to draft the plan,” Usop said.
The security manual covers security and safety contingency procedures should there be a major security incidences such as terrorist threats and hostage-taking at the DCOTT, she said.
The new security plan also includes evacuation schemes in times of natural emergencies such as fires and earthquakes, as well as additional police assistance for passengers in distress.
“In fact, it is included there, God forbid, if ever there is a hostage-taking scenario; if ever there is fire; if ever, God forbid, there is a bomb—what do we do. Our manual is very detailed,” she further said.
DCOTT has its own police outpost situated inside the terminal where duty police officers can stand guard and accommodate complaints when there are any from passengers.
Currently, according to Usop, they started to orient all of its security personnel about the contingency schemes within the new security manual.
She said all security supervisors at the terminal have adequate background in public security and protection to efficiently realize the schemes provided in the manual.
Photo from DCOTT