Noy sets meet with transport agencies

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino has called for a meeting of concerned government agencies to map out measures to ensure the safety of public transportation, including commuter buses.

Malacañang yesterday also warned operators that erring bus companies would be hit where it hurts most to teach them a lesson.

“In addition to legal, judicial actions that may be taken by the aggrieved parties, insofar as the government is concerned – you hit them where it hurts most insofar as profitability is concerned. We take out their franchise, they are not able to operate, and that’s the very severe penalty on the bus franchises,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing.

The latest bus accident occurred last Friday, when a GV Florida Transport bus plunged into a deep ravine in Bontoc, Mountain Province, killing 14 people and injuring 31 others.

“We make sure that they perform, comply with all the standards before they are allowed to operate. Remember that franchise is a privilege and it is not a right under our public transportation laws. And therefore, by canceling their franchise, it’s an effective way of telling them to shape up and for other bus companies to shape up,” he said.

Lacierda said the Palace would leave it with the members of Congress or other agencies to look into and decide on imposing other stiffer penalties.

“But insofar as where it will hit them most – I’m referring to the bus companies themselves – cancellation of franchise is a very severe penalty,” he said.

But again, Lacierda said, “this is not to diminish the importance of any judicial action that may be taken by any parties or any relatives of any parties affected as a consequence of any accident.”

Lacierda said the President was “very concerned” with how accidents continued to happen despite government enforcement of rules.

He reiterated the Palace has no problem with the performance of Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) head Winston Ginez.

Ginez, who had suspended the franchise of Florida Transport involved in Friday’s tragedy, had been “proactive” in his work to ensure road safety, Lacierda said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment will improve the implementation of a two-tier wage system for bus drivers and conductors, to prevent a repeat of recent deadly bus accidents.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said this included an online tracking of the validity of certificates of compliance granted to bus companies.

Under the new setup, bus companies are to pay their drivers and conductors a fixed wage, plus incentives based on criteria like discipline of drivers and the cleanliness and roadworthiness of vehicles.

DOLE also ordered yesterday the 17 regional offices to inspect all bus companies nationwide to ensure compliance with labor regulations.

Baldoz said based on initial results of DOLE investigation, Florida Transport has been operating with an expired Labor Standards Compliance Certificate (LSCC) and the company has not applied for renewal.

Some 300 drivers, 98 conductors and other workers covered by the no work, no pay scheme of Florida Transport were affected by 30-day suspension of the firm’s franchise after the fatal accident in Bontoc.

DOLE Regional Director Sixto Rodriguez said he mobilized his field inspection team yesterday to find ways to cushion the temporary displacement of workers, mostly stationed in its main garage in Tuguegarao City after the LTFRB stopped operations of the buses in Cagayan Valley, Ilocos, Cordillera, Bataan and Metro Manila.

Nestor de Leon, a terminal manager of the bus firm in Tuguegarao City, had asked the Rodriguez to help the displaced workers.

LTFRB officials urged to resign

Members of the House of Representatives called on officials of the LTFRB to resign for their continued failure to enforce the law on abusive bus operators.

The congressmen would initiate a performance audit of chairman Ginez and his officials on how they are doing their job to ensure the safety of commuters, said Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

“We want to know, among others, how often land transport officials inspect buses and the premises of their operators; how many, if any, are the public transport companies which have been deemed unsafe for travel and what action has been done against these firms,” he said.

Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo, meanwhile, said the LTFRB should inspect all public utility vehicles for their roadworthiness in order to prevent deadly accidents.With Mayen Jaymalin, Reinir Padua, Paolo Romero, Christina Mendez, Alexis Romero, Raymund Catindig