Cayetano to cleanse transport agencies, abolish ‘boundary system’

MANILA, Philippines - Vice presidential bet and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano has assured public utility drivers that if elected, they would rid the country’s transport agencies of corruption and abolish the “boundary system.”

Speaking to bus and jeepney drivers in Iloilo City on Monday, Cayetano listened to the pressing concerns of bus and jeepney drivers in the city, who also complained about the burdensome "boundary system," which takes a big chunk of the income they earn from 10 to 12 hours on the road.

The drivers complain of the system as they earn only P300 to 400 daily. Cayetano was accompanied by Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, the son of his running mate, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in the dialogue.

Cayetano said the first thing he and Mayor Duterte will do to address the transport workers' concern is to cleanse the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Land Transportation Office (LTO) and its mother agency, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), of corruption and ineptitude.

"Incompetence breeds corruption. And corruption thrives in a culture of ineptitude. Mayor Duterte and I will not allow these things to continue. If elected, we will make sure that the different transportation agencies will truly serve the needs of our transport workers," Cayetano said.

Cayetano added that if elected, he and Duterte would also scrap the “boundary system” or the commission-basis scheme for bus and jeepney drivers, which forces them to work 10 to 12 hours a day and compete with each other to pick up more passengers, often at the expense of safety and traffic rules.

Cayetano also vowed to give easier access to capital to transport cooperatives, and increase the PhilHealth's budget to subsidize transport workers' premiums.