MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation on Tuesday said it is willing to review an exemption of hundreds of provincial buses from ending their routes at the country's first “landport” in Parañaque amid concerns it manifests partiality and violates anti-graft and corruption laws.
At a Senate hearing, Transportation Undersecretary Mark De Leon said Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade was “very much willing” to “reconsider” the DOTr’s Department Order (DO) 2018-25.
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The latest DO allowed some 300 provincial buses from certain parts of Cavite to continue their operation in Metro Manila, when all others have to end their routes at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, or PITX.
The DO was released a month before the PITX’s inauguration in November.
“Ang hiling lang namin is to run the system based on that DO (Our only wish is to run the system based on that DO),” De Leon said.
The P2.5-billion terminal located beside the old Coastal Mall in Parañaque City was expected to improve passenger movement by connecting buses, taxis, jeepneys, and in the future, the Light Rail Transit Line 1 South Extension, in one portal.
MWM Terminals, a consortium of Megawide Construction Corp. and WM Property Management, Inc., won in 2015 the 35-year concession period to build and operate the PITX.
Bus operators claim lost income
Following the issuance of DO 2018-25, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board later released Memorandum Circular (MC) 2018-022.
The new MC amends MC 2018-020, which mandated all public utility vehicles from provinces south of Metro Manila to finish their trip at the PITX.
Bus operators that were required by MC 2018-022 to terminate their route at PITX said they were losing income, as passengers would rather take buses that can bypass PITX and operate in Metro Manila.
Bus operators also claimed they were not consulted when DO 2018-25 was issued.
But they made it clear they were willing to use the PITX, saying the landport should serve as an “equalizer” for PUVs operating in the south and could help cut operating costs due to shorter routes.
Need for public constultation stressed
For her part, Sen. Grace Poe, chair of the Senate Committee on Public Services, slammed transport officials for not conducting public hearings before the LTFRB’s amended MC was released.
Poe also stressed that the current system problem at PITX sends negative signals to businesses that want to invest in the country’s infrastructure development.
An official from Megawide who attended the Senate hearing said that under the concession agreement the company signed for PITX, the “original” plan was all buses from the south would end their trip at PITX.
“From the onset, you shouldn’t have had that MC without consultation. That’s why now all of these things are happening,” Poe told transport officials.
“Di naman ako DOTr, common sense naman to eh. Eh ewan ko lang baka yun ang wala,” she added.
(I'm not the the DOTr, but this is just common sense. I don't know why that's lacking here.)