A transport group leader on Wednesday chided Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board chairman Martin Delgra for supposedly giving special treatment to multinational companies.
At a news conference in Quezon City, Efren de Luna, national president of Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations, called on Delgra to resign.
“The LTFRB is anti-poor,” De Luna told reporters. “He said special lanes have been devoted to operators of transport network companies and transport network vehicle service to fast-track the issuance of provisional authority.
“As far as we are concerned, we are going through tedious process.”
De Luna appealed to Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and President Rodrigo Duterte to heed their call to remove Delgra from his post.
He threatened to stage a protest rally in the coming State of the Nation Address of the President in July if Delgra is not sacked.
“We will also hold a transport strike to dramatize our sentiments,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Metro Manila Development Authority has ordered the closure of five bus terminals in Pasay City for violating the government’s Nose-in Nose Out policy.
MMDA chairman Danilo Lim and general manager Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. inspected several provincial bus terminals along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue near Tramo Street and Taft Avenue, in which five of them found continue violating the traffic rule.
Ordered closed were the terminals of Ma. Victoria Transport Inc., St. Jude Transit, Arandia Bus Line, RMB Liner and Bobis Transit.
The company management of other bus terminals in the area were also reminded on the strict implementation of the policy while some were given notice of compliance within 72 hours for operating without business permits, illegal terminal sharing and other violations.”©
The MMDA conducted the operation in close coordination with the Office of Pasay City Mayor Antonino Calixto and officials of the Land Transportation Office and local Business Permit and Licensing Office.
The recent operation brings to 10 the total number of bus terminals ordered closed this year for violating the policy.
Two months ago, the MMDA also shut down five bus terminals in Cubao, Quezon City. They were DLTB Co., ALPS, Lucena Lines, Raymund Transport and Super Lines.
Lim said most of the bus firms lacked the maneuvering space at their own terminals, a clear violation of the policy.
The Nose-In Nose-Out policy, according to Lim, requires buses to get in and out of the terminals in one simple maneuver and they are not allowed to load and unload outside their respective terminals.
Under MMDA Resolution 16-06, Series of 2016, the agency reiterates the Nose-In, Nose Out policy of provincial buses entering and exiting the terminals located along Edsa, stressing that there should be no queuing of buses along the major thorough at any time.
The resolution notes that violators will be issued a Uniform Ordinance Violation Receipt for obstruction and disregarding traffic sign with corresponding penalty or fine.
It also prohibits private and public utility vehicles from unloading or loading passengers and cargo in front of the provincial bus terminals that would ultimately cause traffic snarls in the area.
To remedy this, bus operators and owners should designate unloading or loading bays within their terminals or streets outside EDSA.
MMDA records showed that there are 85 provincial bus companies situated in Metro Manila.
Of the 85 provincial bus companies, 45 firms have terminals on EDSA, particularly in Cubao and Balintawak in Quezon City, and Taft Avenue in Pasay City.
Around 3,300 provincial buses and 12,000 city buses pass through EDSA daily.
With the government’s planned removal of illegal terminals, officials said, it would help improve the flow of traffic since provincial buses will no longer enter Metro Manila to load and unload passengers.
