PITX is pet-friendly, says management

MANILA — The Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) emphasized on Friday, October 30, that the terminal remains pet-friendly after a couple was initially barred from boarding a bus going to Bicol Region for having four cats with them.

Cyril Mari Dacanay and her partner Wendell Hulip bought three tickets going to Bulan, Sorsogon—two tickets for themselves and the a third for their fur babies.

According to Dacanay, they couldn’t leave their pets at home, so they paid P1, 200 for an extra seat—the same price as a regular passenger tickect—to accommodate them on their trip to the province.

“Hindi puwedeng iwan… walang magbabantay eh – siyempre iisipin din namin sila kung paano kakain, yung pagdumi nila,” Dacanay told ABS-CBN News.

The cats were inside two separate cages, but they were stopped by bus dispatcher Roel Elago.

“Kasi ang hayop po sa taas sir, bawal po talaga… kahit manok o aso… pusa bawal talaga kasi nadadali kami sa checkpoint sa Bicol… kasi hindi natin masabi, may mga pasahero talaga na maselan,” Elago told ABS-CBN News.

Elago then instructed Dacanay to go back to the ticketing booth for a potential refund, but after a few minutes, she returned and boarded the bus with her fur babies.

According to PITX Senior Corporate Communications Officer Kolyn Calbasa, pets are allowed at the terminal as long as their owners follow the guidelines.

“Please ensure kung magdadala po tayo ng pets… puwedeng-puwede po, small to medium usually ang dinadala with cage, vaccination card, diaper,” said Calbasa.

According to Calbasa, the terminal is expecting about 200,000 passengers today.

From October 25 up to 6:00 p.m., on Friday, PITX records showed that foot traffic at the terminal had reached more than 1 million.

PITX is expecting 1.9 million passengers this Undas 2026, from October 25 until November 4.