Colorum vans are the ones competing with legitimate UV Express operators and not the buses of the Cat Island Express, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan concluded in last Friday’s hearing on a complaint against the bus company.
This and the need for local government units to craft and approve their respective Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) were identified by the SP Committee on Transportation headed by PBM Josevan Balidoy as the main reasons why UV Express operators are struggling and have yet to advance further in the governments Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).
The finding prompted the committee to pass a resolution in the next SP session calling for the Land Transportation Office (LTO), the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), and the PNP Highway Patrol group to deploy personnel to Catanduanes for 15 days to apprehend and impound colorum or unauthorized public utility vehicles operating in various routes.
The hearing was called by the provincial board after officers of the Gigmoto-Viga Transport Service Cooperative (GIVITRANSCO) appealed to Vice Governor Peter Cua for the board to initiate appropriate action in order to prevent the trips of Cat Island Express buses.
Also present were PBMs Jose Romeo Francisco, Jan Ferdinand Alberto, and Rafael Zuniega as well as Liga ng mga Barangay federation president and ex-officio PBM Tito Villamor.
It claimed that the Gigmoto-Virac route was awarded to GIVITRANSCO long before the implementation of PUVMP consolidation process but their effort to earn the amount needed to acquire compliant buses is far behind due to the bus company’s operation on their route.
The cooperative also lamented that they have been asking the Gigmoto LGU for its approved LPTRP but officials there are pointing fingers at each other.
LTFRB Bicol Regional Director Joel Defeo said an existing DILG-DOTr joint circular mandates each LGU to submit their respective LPTRP, which identifies each route within the LGU as well as the required PUVs.
In the case of intra-municipal routes, it will be the provincial government which will craft their own route plan and determine the number of PUVs needed for each route, he added.
“The Gigmoto LGU is not exempted from the submission of an approved LPTRP,” he stressed.
On the issue of whether Cat Island’s provisional authority has expired, Defeo disclosed that while the PA has a specific period of validity, the agency has the power to renew the same.
On the other hand, he said that of the UV Express vans plying the Virac-Gigmoto route, only four have approved franchises while the rest of the 11 existing units have PAs.
A student from Bagamanoc told the hearing that he patronizes the Cat Island buses because at 4 AM, there are no longer vans available and the bus fare straight to Catanduanes State University costs only P112, compared to the P150 charged by vans up to Virac port only.
As to the allegation of GIVITRANSCO that Cat Island is not following its fate matrix in trying to gain the sympathy of the riding public, Dir. Defeo stated that the basis of the fares is the different fare matrices issued to the van and bus operators.
This prompted PBM Jose Romeo Francisco to declare that there is no actual competition between the UV Express vans and Cat Island buses, since they have separate fare matrices.
Cat Island officials bared that they are strict with their drivers regarding tickets issued to passengers, especially those given discounts.
“Our 22-seater bus is ordinary with no aircon but we are allowed to have standing passengers as Class II vehicles,” they said.
But CATTRANSCO president Nestor Tribiana questioned LTFRB for allowing Cat Island to field buses in Catanduanes while local PUV operators are still in the process of consolidation.
“Who must be prioritized, the corporation or the cooperatives?” he asked. “We have new members who are still paying for their units by amortization.”
In reply, the LTFRB Bicol chief said Cat Island deserved the provisional authority, as only nine (9%) percent of the PUV franchises issued in Catanduanes are operating.
“It is prudent to issue the PA to Cat Island pending approval of the LPTRP of the different LGUs as we cannot deprive the public of its services,” he emphasized.
He observed that the province is already progressive and modernization is essential in providing genuine public service and ensuring the general welfare of the people.
“We give options to the riding public as this is free competition,” he said. “Dapat may pagpipilian.”
It was noted that UV Express van drivers generally call it a day as soon as they achieve their so-called “boundary” while Cat Island buses run on a fixed schedule, even leaving its terminal with just two passengers.
PBM Balidoy also shared the experience of students from Summit, Viga who previously had to stay in boarding houses at the población while studying at the Viga Rural Development High School.
Now that the Cat Island Express buses are operating, they are able to catch the bus when it passes the barangay at 7 AM and leave for home that same afternoon when the bus passes at 5:20 PM.
On the transport service cooperatives’ worry that by the time the LPTRPs are approved, it would no longer be tenable to acquire new Euro-2 compliant units, Dir. Defeo assured that once the route plans are approved, his office will award the routes to the cooperatives.
“Colorum vans proliferate because only a few of the PUVs here have franchises,” he bared.
PBM Francisco said that since colorum vans are the real problem of the transport co-ops, the board will pass a resolution requesting the LTO, LTFRB and the PNP Highway Patrol Group to schedule an enforcement campaign against the unauthorized vehicles for 15 days straight.
Only the LTO and the deputized police enforcers have the mandate to apprehend and impound such vehicles, it was stated, as the power has been removed from the LTFRB whose main function now is to regulate transport franchises.
Dir. Defeo revealed that his office will issue a show-cause order to the holders of the 414 PUV franchises issued in Catanduanes why the franchises should not be revoked for failure to field their units.
It is due time that Virac must have a traffic management plan like Legazpi City, which prohibits the entry of six-wheeled vehicles in the city center.
“Not only the vehicles should be modernized but also the infrastructures especially terminals and pick-up points to ensure that the passengers are safe from the elements,” he said.
He reminded the transport sector that the policy of one route, one co-op has been abandoned and in case there is more than one per route, fleet management will apply.
Defeo advised the local cooperatives not to acquire the needed units hastily but to get only four or five units, continually studying the financial viability of the route at the same as ensuring capability building for the co-op to ensure that they can financially manage it.
The provincial board said it will invite planning and development coordinators from the 11 towns and the province to attend a meeting with LTFRB in order to fast-track the approval and submission of their respective Local Public Transport Route Plans.