ILOILO City – Land Transportation Office (LTO) Region 6 director Atty. Gaudioso Geduspan II vowed to intensify enforcement against overloading in public utility vehicles after personally experiencing the persistent overcrowding of jeepneys in this city.
Geduspan’s statement came after he joined ordinary commuters in an early morning jeepney ride from Pavia, Iloilo to the LTO regional office in Barangay Quintin Salas, Jaro district — a move aligned with the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) directive for transportation officials to ride public utility vehicles at least once a week to better understand commuters’ plight.
By 6 a.m., Geduspan noted that jeepneys were already congested, prompting him to remark, “Practically, nothing has changed since the time I was commuting from home to school,” referring to the long-standing problem of overcrowded and poorly maintained vehicles.
He lamented the lack of maintenance among traditional jeepneys, saying, “Kon lantawon ta, ang mga traditional jeepneys naton, isa, duha ko nga nasakyan, the same, no. May lack of maintenance, of course… kinahanglan gid maintenance, amo na nga may modernization program kita.”
Geduspan said he intends to also try other modes of transport such as taxis, tricycles, and modernized units to compare the riding experience.
“I have yet to ride other public transportations like modernized jeepneys, modernize units like taxi, like may ara pa kita nga Grab, Auto, Maxim, pwede man ta kasakay tricycle, to understand, compare, and observe,” he added.
The LTO-6 director emphasized the need to enforce the “no sardinas policy,” noting that even modernized jeepneys continue to exceed passenger limits.
“Passengers are being crammed in, and despite warnings to operators, violations continue,” he said.
Geduspan stressed that the agency would sustain monitoring and operations to ensure compliance.
“We will sustain operations until you stop exceeding your passenger limits. It defeats the purpose of modernization,” he asserted.
He also acknowledged the challenges faced by employees with early meetings who depend on public transport schedules, noting that, “You have to wake up early so you won’t experience traffic congestion, and you can commute faster.”
Geduspan admitted he could not yet fully comply with the DOTr’s once-a-week directive due to frequent trips to Manila but said he remains eager to continue his firsthand observation.
“Kami nabudlayan, actually, because our schedule does not always tell us nga from residence makadto kami sa opisina directly… I’m holding my comments on my observation because traditional jeepneys pa lang nasakyan ko, wala pa ang iban,” he explained.
He expressed interest in experiencing rush-hour rides soon.
“I am actually excited to do that kay daw waay gid time kay we are staying late diri (office), and gin pa… because there are many complaints about passengers nga gina dasok,” he said, adding that law enforcers themselves confirmed the violations.
Geduspan cited reports that some operators blame passengers for forcing their way into full vehicles, but he said this does not excuse noncompliance.
“Gin try gid na naton sa mga law enforcers naton,” he stressed.
Through his jeepney ride, Geduspan said he hopes to see beyond the statistics and policies that often dominate transportation discussions.
“It’s nothing changed and wala man improvement gid no,” he remarked, underscoring the need to translate modernization efforts into genuine commuter convenience.
The DOTr’s initiative requiring officials to experience public transport firsthand, he added, should serve as a “reality check” for those shaping transport policy./PN
