ILOILO City – “We will never know until we implement it.”
This is Mayor Jerry Treñas’ message to transport groups calling for the suspension of the city government’s Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) this June 12.
The Metro Iloilo Transport Service Cooperative (MITSCOO) and the Iloilo City Alliance of Drivers Association (ICADA) warned of massive public inconvenience if the plan is enforced due to a perceived insufficiency in the number of city loop vehicles that would haul passengers from the transport terminals to the city.
“We will proceed with the implementation. If there are problems, we will immediately resolve them,” said Treñas.
The LPTRP prohibits provincial jeepneys from entering the city. They are only up to the transport terminals in the boundary barangays of the city.
Treñas said the LPTRP will be suspended only if the problems it spawns – should there be any – could not be resolved.
“Daw pareho lang na gapangaluyag ka, kadamo sang mga rason nga indi kita mag-ayuhay, basi indi man kita mag-intindihanay. Ti testingan ta,” he quipped.
For his part, the city government’s Public Safety and Transportation Management Office head Jeck Conlu said the LPTRP is in line with the national government’s Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP), thus it must be implemented.
This flagship program of the Duterte administration envisions a restructured, modern, well-managed and environmentally sustainable transport sector where drivers and operators have stable, sufficient and dignified livelihood while commuters get to their destinations quickly, safely and comfortably.
Not merely a vehicle modernization program, the PUVMP also devolved the function of route planning to local government units (LGUs) as they are more versed in the terrain and passenger demand within their respective territorial jurisdiction.
LGUs are required under the program to submit their own LPTRP as a prerequisite for the opening of PUV franchises within their jurisdiction.
“Our LPTRP is five years in the making. Ginapa-implement na ‘ni sa aton kag ang iban nga transport cooperative naka-ready naman,” said Conlu.
For their part, the Western Visayas Transport Cooperative (WVTC) which operate modern jeepneys and still have member-operators with traditional jeepneys assured the public they have more than enough units to serve passengers.
According to Raymundo Parcon, WVTC president, members have been meeting almost every day in preparation for the LPTRP implementation by June 12.
WVTC is composed 17 city-based transport associations. Parcon said they have sufficient number of jeepneys to move city-bound people from the transport terminals, and even serve new city routes that LPTRP will also open./PN
