By Dolly Yasa
Bacolod City – A leader of a transport group here composed of operators and drivers of the traditional jeepneys said the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Regional Office 6 assured them that they will be granted provisional authority to ply their routes.
Noli Rosalez, secretary-general of Kilusang Mayo Uno, told Daily Guardian that they consider the development a temporary victory.
Rosalez and his group staged a protest rally at the LTFRB regional office Thursday to push for the issuance of a provisional authority to their group.
While they wanted to have a dialogue with LTFRB regional director Richard Osmena, the agency’s legal counsel and spokesman, Atty. Salvador Altura, talked to them.
“He assured us that we will be granted provisional authority as long as our documents are complete and in order,” Rosalez said.
Rosalez also clarified with the LTFRB if they need the endorsement of the Bacolod City government to get the provisional authority to which Altura replied that it was not necessary.
He said that they also learned that it was City Administrator Pacifico Maghari who went to the LTFRB national to discuss their plight, and not Councilor Al Victor Espino, chairman of the Committee on Transportation.
He said it was Espino who dialogued with them when they staged a protest rally at the Bacolod Government Center, Monday while they expected Mayor Alfredo Benitez to do so as he was addressing the city employees then as part of the flag ceremony.
Rosalez said that around 2,500 to 2,600 drivers and operators of traditional jeepneys are affected by the jeepney modernization program.
He also lamented the actuation of Espino in their recent dialogue who told them that their main purpose of holding the protest rally is their “tilig-angon” or livelihood for the day.
“Para sa akon nabastusan kita kay ang pag tan-aw ya sa amon nga sa transport sector daw patay gutom nga nag kadto didto para mangayo tilig-angon,” Rosalez lamented.
He pointed out that “what we are protecting is our livelihood adding that “kon madulaan kami pangabuhian, mawad-an gid kami tilig-angon.”
Rosalez added that “ang amon lang tani tamdon man nila ang pumuluyo nga nag butang sa ila sa pwesto.”
He said other transport groups who joined them are the United Negros Drivers Operators Center-PISTON, Bacolod Alliance of Commuters, Operators and Drivers, Negros Bacolod Transport Coalition.
Meanwhile, Maghari said that the LTFRB head office directed its Western Visayas office on May 10 to expedite the issuance of provisional authorities to allow traditional jeepneys to continue operating in this city until Dec. 31.
Maghari said he met with the LTFRB board members led by chairman Teofilo Guadiz III at their head office in Quezon City.
“The PAs will allow the traditional jeepneys to operate until December 31 as stated in an LTFRB memorandum circular on the transition to modernization,” he added.
Maghari added that the issuance of the PAs would be subject to the submission of required documents, including Motor Vehicle Inspection Center test results.
