ILOILO City – To provide a platform for transport groups to voice their concerns regarding the government’s Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP) – previously known as the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program – the Western Visayas Alliance of Transport Cooperatives and Corporations, Inc. (WVATCCI) is organizing the first Western Visayas Transport Summit 2024 on Friday, Nov. 15, in this city.
The WVATCCI, in collaboration with the local governments of Iloilo City and Province, the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Land Transportation Office (LTO), the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), and the Liga ng Transportasyon at Operators ng Pilipinas (LTOP), spearheads the summit.
According to WVATCCI president Rizalito Alido, who chairs the summit committee, the WVATCCI and LTFRB Region 6 aim to showcase support for the modernization program, especially as Iloilo City was the first to secure approval for its enhanced Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP).
Halley Alcarde, general manager of the Western Visayas Transport Cooperative (WVTC), expects around 250 officers from various transport cooperatives and corporations across the region to attend, alongside representatives from the city and provincial governments of Iloilo and relevant law enforcement agencies.
Perfecto Yap, adviser to Joroshely Transport Services and consultant to WVATCCI, said the summit offers a rare chance for transport groups to address their concerns directly with government officials from DOTr, LTO, and LTFRB.
“This summit provides an opportunity for us to present our issues and concerns directly, with the expectation of timely answers,” Yap said during a press conference on Monday, Nov. 11, at the LTFRB regional office in Jaro district.
The summit also aims to strengthen the unity of transport groups across the region, fostering a collective voice for their shared advocacy.
During the event, a new set of officers for LTOP – Western Visayas will be inducted, and former Ilocos Sur governor Chavit Singson will personally launch an e-jeep initiative, introducing these electric jeepneys to transport cooperatives and corporations interested in acquiring units.
Yap said WVATCCI’s primary concern to be raised at the summit is the lack of enforcement by the LTO against “colorum” or unregistered jeepneys, which has adversely affected the operations of mini-buses.
Additionally, they will address the LTFRB’s extension until Nov. 29, 2024, for the consolidation of unconsolidated units, which has impacted the processing and release of loan funding for mini-bus purchases.
Currently, out of the 1,782 units awarded to WVATCCI in Iloilo City, only 531 mini-buses are operational./PN
