ILOILO — Alarmed by the rising instances of overloaded provincial jeepneys — especially during night trips — Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. is set to sit down with transport law enforcers to tighten regulation and prevent dangerous practices that put passengers, drivers, and conductors at risk.
Defensor said the provincial government will work closely with enforcement agencies, including the Land Transportation Office, after observing that overcrowding has become common during peak hours and late evenings, when commuters outnumber available units.
While acknowledging that some drivers try to comply with safety rules by refusing excess passengers, the governor noted that overloading still occurs due to weak daytime income, limited jeepney units, and reduced trips at night.
“Ang nagakatabo halog kon indi peak hours, gutok kon peak. Pero bal-an ko ginasunod sang drivers naton (overloading prohibition). May be not all but kita ko nga ginapapanaog nila kon magsobra. We will work with our law enforcers kag LTO (Land Transportation Office) kon paano kita dira,” Defensor said when asked by reporters what the provincial government plans to do.
As part of the review, Defensor said the province will reassess the limitations on “last trips”, noting that some provincial jeepneys stop operating too early despite strong commuter demand in the evenings.
“I will review ang limitasyon sa last trip but again the bottom line is indi kaigu (mga pasahero) sa peak. I will go back sa PPDO (Provincial Planning and Development Office) naton kon paano na. Let’s go back to the data,” he added.
Asked if a transport summit is necessary, Defensor said this will first be evaluated, citing the existence of a Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) that could already address the issue.
The renewed focus on jeepney overloading comes after the 15th Sangguniang Panlalawigan, during its regular session last Tuesday, January 27, approved a resolution authored by second district Board Member June Mondejar urging mayors of Iloilo’s component municipalities and city to take immediate action to prevent passenger overloading and ensure public safety.
Mondejar said she is also preparing an ordinance to regulate and manage overloading of provincial jeepneys, in her capacity as chairperson of the SP Committee on Public Order and Security.
Earlier, Mondejar pointed to increasing the number of trips during peak hours and at night as a practical solution to prevent dangerous overcrowding, including passengers clinging to or sitting on jeepney roofs./PN
