This Friday, April 12, 2024, according to sources, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan is again calling to a dialogue a group of van operators who are against the operation of the Cat Island Express.
It is claimed that officials of the Gigmoto-Virac Transport Service Cooperative (GIVITRANSCO) sent a letter to Vice Gov. Peter Cua appealing to the provincial board to “initiate appropriate action in order to prevent the trips of aforementioned buses of Catanduanes Island, Inc. (sic)…”
The letter said that after a series of consultative meetings with officials of government agencies and resource persons from the transport industry, GIVITRANSCO learned that the intervention of the SP is necessary to “ease and save the deteriorating operation of marginal transport cooperatives like the GIVITRANSCO that are being competed (sic) by an influential business tycoons (sic) operating same nature of business…”
It claimed that the Gigmoto-Virac route was awarded to GIVITRANSCO long before the implementation of consolidation process in consonance with the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) of the national government.
“We religiously abide and comply with the mandate of LTFRB even before December 31, 2023 and thereby exerted efforts in maintaining our daily trips in serving the commuters for us to accumulate marginal amount that will (be) commensurate in acquiring units of buses needed by the cooperative as per mandate of the government,” the appeal stated.
However, it added, their effort is far behind in attaining their objective because of the presence of buses operated by “Catanduanes Island Inc.” that they said is operating only with a temporary permit issued by LTFRB.
The commuting public is not interested in the issue as they are only concerned with which transport operator offers the lowest fares and travel convenience.
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A local contractor recently pointed to evidence that the DPWH is favoring mainland contractors in the implementation of infrastructure projects, majority of which is being handled by the regional office.
According to the informant, not only is the DPWH Bid and Awards Committee (BAC) requiring the availability of cranes, bulldozers and other heavy equipment from bidders even in small projects that does not require the use of such heavy equipment, it is also going easy on winning mainland contractors during the actual implementation.
While local contractors are routinely disqualified due to the lack of unnecessary equipment, the winning contractors are required to present only the receipts of heavy equipment they bought from Metro Manila.
Inspectors of ongoing projects, he said, turn a blind eye to the absence of the required heavy equipment on site, in violation of the bid guidelines.
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The management of the Tribune expresses its sincere condolences to Dr. Oscar Enriquez and the family for the recent demise of Mrs. Salvacion Olfindo Enriquez. The 97-year-old matriarch of the clan died last March 25, 2024 in her home in the presence of her loving family.
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DOUBTFUL WOMAN. Sometimes women are overly suspicious of their husbands. When Adam stayed out very late for a few nights, Eve became upset. “You’re running around with other women,” she charged.
“You’re being unreasonable,” Adam responded. “You’re the only woman on earth.” The quarrel continued until Adam fell asleep, only to be awakened by someone poking him in the chest.
It was Eve. “What do you think you’re doing?” Adam demanded.
“Counting your ribs,” said Eve.