ILOILO City – Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) Region 6 director Jeffrey Bangsa has apologized to Mayor Jerry P. Treñas and Guimaras governor JC Rahman Nava for banning bicycles onboard vessels plying the Iloilo-Guimaras route and vice versa without coordinating with them.
Bangsa personally met with the local chief executives in separate meetings yesterday and explained the policy, which got the ire of the two officials and the public, especially the bikers.
“Hindi tayo nakapag-coordinate sa ating mga political leaders. On the part of MARINA Region 6, we sincerely apologize. This will not happen again,” Bangsa admitted yesterday.
The ban was an offshoot of complaints MARINA-6 received – that bikes in fiberglass boats somehow caused inconvenience to boat passengers.
Bangsa said they conducted an investigation, secured photographs, and that learned that sacks of rice, cement, water containers, among others, also bother boat passengers.
“Considering that the modern type vessels or itong fiberglass boats masikip ang passageway so kung haharangan, in cases of emergency situations mare-restrict ang galawan ng mga tao,” Bangsa explained.
That’s why they discussed this with motorboats operators – that they should provide proper storage area every time they load a bike and other cargoes to avoid restricting the free movement of the passengers.
The Jordan Motor Banca Cooperative (JMBC), which earlier posted the notice about the bike prohibition onboard, explained that bicycles are not included to be catered under their Certificate of Public Convenience (CPC).
Bangsa echoed this and added that heavy cargoes should be loaded on cargo vessels, citing previous incidents of overloading passenger vessels that got sink.
“‘Yun lang naman ang iniiwasan natin,” said Bangsa.
As to the bicycles, in particular, he noted that they have directed all boat operators to identify places to secure bikes that it could not give inconvenience to the passengers. Bangsa understands that Iloilo City is a bike capital and Guimaras is known for its bike trails that’s why many bikers are visiting both places.
He said MARINA gave boat operators 30 days to come up with a storage plan for their revised CPC and this will be evaluated and approved eventually.
The time given to the motorbanca operators are also in consideration with the upcoming Dragon Fruit Festival of Guimaras from Sept. 29 to 30 which will kick off through a bike caravan.
For the meantime, Bangsa said they will initially allow bikes onboard passenger vessels but only four bikes per trip for small vessels like fiberglass boats and eight bikes per trip for big vessels, provided they will comply with the securing and storing of the bikes.
Treñas, who earlier expressed disappointment in the non-consultation with the local authorities, was contented with the meeting with MARINA-6.
“The meeting with MARINA went well. Vice Mayor (Jeffrey) Ganzon and I are both very happy that bikes will now be allowed in the pump boats. Salamat guid,” said Treñas./PN
