ILOILO City – Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Panay is calling for the cancellation of the Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) of the city government, citing its adverse effects to commuters, drivers and small jeepney operators.
LPTRP has forced people to spend more for transportation fare, and has also resulted to longer travel periods, according to BAYAN Panay in a statement.
For many drivers and small jeepney operators, LPTRP spelled the death of their livelihood, it added.
“We demand its cancellation and call on the city government to hold public consultations,” the group stressed through deputy spokesperson Bryan Bosque.
The group claimed that from the drafting of the LPTRP until its passage by the city council, not one public consultation was conducted.
“The city government could have retained the existing routes and added only the new seven routes after public consultations if they are really needed,” BAYAN Panay noted.
It also viewed the LPTRP as favoring big business with nine out of the 24 routes are made to pass the Iloilo Business Park (Festive Walk / Megaworld area), and five passing the Atria.
Other points the group raised were the following:
* Only four routes pass by the Iloilo Provincial Capitol area as this was removed from the routes of Molo and Diversion Road-bound jeepneys. The new routes are a burden for many employees and workers.
* The Jaro Liko Tagbak route also increased in length and changed its course, affecting patients going to Mabini Street where a dialysis center is located.
* It is now more expensive to get to Iloilo Science and Technology University, where thousands of underprivileged students from northern and central towns of Iloilo province are studying, since the Pavia, Santa Barbara and Leganes routes are now barred from entering the city even though their franchises are yet to expire.
* The Perimeter Boundary Ordinance is also being unfairly implemented since the Northern and Central town jeepneys are now barred from entering the city, and yet those from Oton, San Miguel and Alimodian can do so provided they park at the Megaworld Transport Hub Terminal.
* Local products of farmers are no longer directly brought to Iloilo Terminal Market (Super) and Jaro markets.
“If the national government is sincere in its desire to address the needs of drivers and small jeepney operators, the P2.4-million cost of a single unit of modernized jeepney can be used to improve the current state of traditional jeepneys or provide capitalization for the local production of modern jeepneys which is estimated to cost around P800,000,” according to BAYAN Panay.
They also noted that modernized jeepneys still use oil petroleum products and emit the same level of smoke, debunking the claim that it is environment-friendly.
It added that the traffic was not even solved because private vehicles, which make up the largest portion of vehicles on the road, still remain unregulated.
“The promise of “faster and easier” public transport will remain to be a myth with the implementation of LPTRP and PUVMP (Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program),” they lamented.
“We ask the people to unite and oppose the current modernization program of the government and call for the improvement of public transport that caters to the needs of the commuting public, drivers and small operators and local producers, and not of big businesses that only aim for profit,” the further added./PN
