Building the Regional City

Who’s to blame for transport impasse?

By admin ⋅ June 20, 2008 ⋅  Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

PASSENGERS, particularly traders ferrying goods to Iloilo City, complained the whole day Thursday after provincial jeepneys boycotted transport terminals within the city perimeter.

Southern line jeepneys unloaded their passengers in Oton, Iloilo while central line passengers disembarked at the Pavia People’s Terminal in Pavia town instead of the Iloilo Terminal and General Services Inc. at Brgy. Ungka, Jaro.

Northern line jeepneys are still using the Tagbac terminal in Jaro although they are scouting for their own place in the municipality of Leganes.

Aleosan (Alimodian, Leon and San Miguel) jeeps unloaded their passengers at Brgy. Pandac, Pavia.

The affected passengers said they were confused with the sudden change of system as it means added fare to reach their destinations.

Traders said it is difficult to transport their goods to the Iloilo Terminal Market or Super in the downtown area aside from shelling out extra fare.

Compounding the passengers’ woes is the crackdown on city loop jeepneys, particularly those on the CPU-Ungka ITGSI route, which picked up passengers at the Pavia terminal.

CPU-Ungka drivers said they were surprised with the new policy because they were allowed to ferry and pick up passengers from the said terminal.

Traffic enforcers from the Traffic Management and Engineering Unit said they were ordered to confiscate the licenses of CPU-Ungka-ITGSI jeepney drivers because they were out of route.

Provincial jeepneys represented by Federation of Iloilo Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association (Fijoda) boycotted the city terminals to protest the refusal of the Iloilo City Traffic Technical Working Group to heed their plea to amend portions of the Perimeter Boundary Ordinance.

Fijoda opposed the PBO, particularly the car-pass system, reduction of routes for provincial jeepneys, prohibition of drivers from picking up passengers within the downtown area and stiff fines for traffic violations.

The transport group mounted the boycott after a three-day strike Monday to Wednesday.

But who is to blame for the transport stalemate gripping the city government and Fijoda?

Fijoda president Proceso Parreño said Councilor Erwin Plagata is to be blamed because of his refusal to listen to their pleas.

But Plagata, who also chairs the committee on transportation and public utilities, said Fijoda should take the blame for preempting his decisions.

Plagata said his committee is still on the process of reviewing proposed PBO amendments when Fijoda members decided to take matters in their own hand.

“Why can’t they wait when this can be taken up in the proper forum which is the city council? We are still on public hearing phase and this will not be my decision alone because it will be deliberated by the council. If they cooperated with us, we could have come up with a win-win solution. But with what they did, the doors are closed,” Plagata said.

Plagata said city loop jeepneys oppose the proposals of Fijoda “thus I am compelled to protect their interests.”

As regards the confiscation of the licenses of Ungka-CPU jeepney drivers, Plagata said they only implemented the route regulation.

“We have to do it or else Fijoda could have won,” he said.

Plagata found allies in city loop jeepney groups under the umbrella of Iloilo City Alliance of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association, Iloilo City Alliance of Drivers Association.

The Metro Iloilo Transport Federation and MIDC Transport group which includes jeepney drivers from Sta. Barbara and Leganes also expressed support for Plagata even if they are classified as provincial transports.

TRIP CUTTING

City terminal operators filed a complaint for trip cutting against Fijoda members with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) for violating their franchises.

City Councilor Lyndon Acap, operator of the Mohon terminal for southern line jeeps, said they respect the rights of Fijoda drivers “but they should move within the bounds of the law.”

Acap said the franchise of jeepneys mandate that they should unload at the city terminals, not somewhere else.

But LTO regional director Gerard Camiña was in a quandary as LTFRB regional head Porfirio Clavel was not in his office.

Camiña said Clavel has the power to order inspection and confiscation of franchises of erring provincial drivers.

Parreño said they have a group of lawyers who will face the charges against them even as they attempt to amend their franchises.

Francis Allan L. Angelo, The Daily Guardian