ILOILO City – Just days after announcing it would arrest “barkers”, the Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO) proposed a plan to legitimize them.
Barkers may be trained then accredited by the city government as dispatchers or parking attendants, according to PSTMO chief Jeck Conlu.
But for this to be realized, the anti-barker ordinance (Regulation Ordinance No. 2014-194) must be amended, said Conlu.
Accredited barkers could be stationed in identified jeepney loading and unloading areas across the city, he proposed.
“The training would include teaching the barkers how to handle traffic congestions until such time traffic auxiliaries arrive,” added Conlu.
Regulation Ordinance No. 2014-194 outlaws barkers – individuals who “call for, facilitate, induce or convince commuters to board a particular or preferred public utility vehicle such as a jeepney, taxi, van, and bus for the purpose of extracting an amount from the vehicle’s driver.”
The city government came up with this ordinance in 2014 after complaints about barkers harassing jeepney drivers who did not give them money.
Yesterday, Conlu summoned over 30 barkers in the City Proper for a meeting. He discussed with them his proposal.
For now, said Conlu, barkers won’t be arrested right away when spotted violating the ordinance, they would only get a warning – a turnaround from his tough talk last week.
The PSTMO chief said he would be meeting barkers in other districts.
“Amo ‘ni ang magaplastar sang pasahero naton, kon paano magpila sang insakto like sa mga bus stops nga gapila ang mga pasahero,” said Conlu.
They could also help drivers park their vehicles, he added.
An “experiment” may be conduct on Bonifacio Drive in front of the Iloilo provincial capitol. That area is packed with people waiting for jeepneys during rush hours, said Conlu.
“Ma-experiment kita. Palinyahon ta ang mga pasahero. May isa ka attendant or dispatcher para organisado ang pagsaka sang mga pasahero,” said Conlu.
He, however, clarified that not all barkers may be accredited. For these individuals, the city would be extending help, said Conlu without giving specifics.
While Regulation Ordinance No. 2014-194 outlaws barkers, it recognizes legitimate dispatchers – persons authorized or accredited by transport groups to facilitate the boarding of commuters to public utility vehicles at transport terminals.
Section 4 of the ordinance stipulates that a transport group shall be allowed to employ dispatchers with proper identification cards and duly signed by the transport group’s president.
A dispatcher also manages and supervises the parking and send-off of the public utility vehicle in an orderly fashion within the designated parking area but without collecting any fee from the driver./PN
