Stallholders’ stay at South Bus Term’l extended May 5

Capitol consultant on security, Byron Garcia is giving stallholders at the South Bus Terminal until May 5 to vacate the place to pave the way for the renovation of the said facility.

Byron said that the more than 50 stallholders had until yesterday to vacate the place, but were given an extension of five days.

He also said that the renovation would take at least 30 days, and soon the terminal will be fully air-conditioned especially the passengers waiting lounge similar to that of an airport’s passenger lounge.

An escalator will also be installed at the second floor of the building where one can find various shops.

The entire renovation, Byron said, would cost around P6 million and he projected that the terminal’s income of P20 million last year will increase to P50 million at the end of the year with the modernization of the terminal.

The terminal is one of the economic enterprises of the provincial government which has planned ways to increase its revenues for the year, considering that it has started to lose taxes because of the conversion of some towns into cities.

Among the changes introduced recently is getting rid of the more than 30 ambulant vendors within the vicinity of the terminal, increased terminal fee of from P50 to P100, and P5 terminal fee for each passenger, among others.

The terminal has an average of 10,000 passengers a day.

“With the modernization of the terminal, you can see that the governor is not a mediocre administrator,” Byron said.

Further, he said that he already received several complaints among bus operators over the “selling of bus seats” made by some of these ambulant vendors.

“Kasagaran ibaligya ang lingkoranan og tag-P20 ngadto sa mga pasahero. This practice has to be stopped. Makasamok gyod sila sa mga pasahero,” Byron said.

Some of these ambulant vendors are reportedly engaged in pickpocketing and thievery inside the bus, he added.

“Ours is to give service to the public. We are in the business of satisfying our costumers. We are after the convenience of our passengers,” he added.

It maybe recalled that last month, a covenant was signed by Capitol officials, led by Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, and the mini-bus operators from southern Cebu led by its president Nick Villahermosa which aims to end the alleged corrupt practices and unauthorized collection of fees by dispatchers at the said terminal. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/MEEV