Mindanaotoday.com | Oro city gov’t asked to intervene on PUV operations
By: Franck Dick Rosete
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – A group of public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers here asked the local government’s intervention to be able to have even opportunities between the public utility jeepneys (PUJs), tricycles and “bao-bao” tricabs in this city.
The United Drivers Association (UNIDA) submitted a petition—from the drivers of three different routes in this city—on Wednesday, March 15, to Mayor Rolando Uy, asking tricycles and tricabs here to enter their routes and make a living just around 8 o’clock in the evening to 4 o’clock in the early morning.
Joel Gabatan, UNIDA president, said jeepney drivers from the Barangays of Kauswagan, Bonbon and Bayabas were having a hard time getting passengers around 6 o’clock in the evening onwards because of the presence of some tricycles and tricabs in their respective routes.
“Kay kining bao-bao mularga man gud ni bisan tulo ra ka pasahero nya ang mga pasahero gadali, manakay nalang (Because these “bao-bao” tricabs can proceed with just three passengers; and the passengers were in a hurry, they would go for it),” Gabatan said in a phone interview on Wednesday.
Santino Aguilar, law enforcement section and operations division chief of Land Transportation Office (LTO) Region 10, said “bao-bao” tricabs can be registered to LTO but the franchise would be given by the local government unit (LGU) before they can cater passengers.
However, he clarified that tricycles, pedicabs, and motorized pedicabs are banned from traveling on national highways based on the Memorandum Circular (MC) 2020 – 036 from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). This is part of the department’s push to clear roads of obstructions.
Despite the MC, several of the said PUVs are still traveling on national highways to have a better income, especially during the night where traffic enforcers are not around.
“Pero aa gyud mi special operation para sa mga bao-bao. Mag joint operation mi kauban ang PNP and LGU (But we have special operations intended for bao-bao. We normally conduct joint operations together with PNP and LGU),” Aguilar added in a separate interview on Wednesday.
In the petition letter sent by UNIDA, the drivers wanted to fix the problem as it serves an additional obstacle on their part aside from their difficulty on the PUV modernization program of the national government.
If the said problematic situation would continue, the UNIDA said drivers were afraid to get modernized jeepneys as they would probably be unable to pay the units.
To help the group of PUV drivers, Uy has planned to convene the officials from Land Transportation Office here, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, DILG, Highway Patrol Group, Cagayan de Oro City Police Office, Liga ng mga Barangay and the representatives from various transport groups for further discussions and come up with the resolution.
Convening various government agencies, as well as various transport groups were the suggestion of the local chief executive after he received the petition from UNIDA in order to help the drivers in Cagayan de Oro. (MT)
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