CSBT head asks for lower quota

CEBU, Philippines - The reduction of parking fee for buses and the removal of the terminal fees for the Cebu South Bus Terminal will expectedly decrease the annual income of the province, as earlier projected by the Provincial Capitol.

With this, CSBT manager Carmen Quijano said that she has asked acting Governor Agnes Magpale for the possibility of reducing her quota for the terminal’s income.

After the regular meeting yesterday of the Cebu Provincial Bus Operators Association which both Magpale and Quijano attended, the latter said that they are still discussing financial concerns of the terminal following Magpale’s approval of CPBOA’s plea to reduce the parking fee of the CSBT but she said that she is asking for a reduction of her P65-million annual quota.

“I cannot make sure if makaabot ko ana (P65 million) for the reason na duna man P50 na gi-slash,” she said.

Last year, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia approved the increase of parking fee of buses from P100 to P200.  Bus operators appealed for the reduction but this was rejected by Garcia.

Last month, Magpale approved the appeal of the bus operators by slashing P50 from the implemented terminal fee.  Magpale said that the province was to lose P8 million with the decision but said that they wanted to weigh service and profit.

Since the slash of the parking fee was implemented last February 25, Quijano said that they are expecting the income to decrease in the coming months.

Quijano said for this year the terminal earned around P5.4 for January and around P5.6 million for February, roughly the same amounts they earned for the same months last year.  She said that they will be monitoring the income flow within the next few months.

Although expecting income for the terminal to decrease, Quijano said she is depending on the assurance of bus operators that if the terminal fee is slashed, more buses will use the terminal.

The increase from P100 to P200 in terminal fee reportedly forced bus drivers to park or pick up passengers in another nearby terminal instead of CSBT.  But during their dialogue with Magpale prior to the approval of the reduction, members of CPBOA and Cebu South Mini Bus Operators Association assured Magpale that they will return to CSBT.

Quijano was also quick to say there is a city ordinance that provides that mini-buses with seats below 50 should operate in the One Citylink Terminal, a private-run terminal near the Cebu City Medical Center.

But apart from that, Quijano said that she hopes the bus operators will hold to their end of the bargain and have their buses pick up passengers inside CSBT.

Meanwhile, Quijano said that she has also asked Magpale for 12 additional guards to help deal with the increase of passengers expected for Holy Week. Quijano said they currently have 20 guards but with the removal of the P5 terminal fee, Quijano said that it is more difficult to manage arriving and departing commuters. She also requested for additional janitorial services from Magpale. (FREEMAN)