Group wants city proper cleared of provincial PUJs
Operators and drivers of public utility jeepneys (PUJs) want the Iloilo City government to fully implement the Perimeter Boundary Ordinance (PBO) by totally banning PUJs coming from the municipalities to enter the city proper.
Federation of Iloilo City Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association (Fijoda) in a letter to City Councilor Erwin Plagata, the new chair of the Sangguniang Panlungsod committee on transportation, called on the full implementation of Regulation Ordinance 2004-268 or the PBO.
Fijoda, headed by Vulcan Espinosa, stressed that in the more than two years that the ordinance existed no dramatic changes on the city's problem on traffic congestion occurred.
Fijoda mainly called on the city government to totally ban the entry of provincial PUJs to the city routes.
The group particularly cited PUJs belonging to the Metro Iloilo Development Council (MIDC), namely, Leganes, Sta. Barbara, Oton, and San Miguel, which continue to take the route of the city loop PUJs.
Fijoda pointed out that the car pass system being implemented by the Traffic Management and Engineering Unit (TMEU) does not work.
Fijoda stressed the provincial PUJs should only be limited to their respective terminals and let the city loop jeepneys take care of their passengers going to the city.
Gaspar Grejarte, president of the SM City Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association (SMCJODA) which is also a member of Fijoda, hinted that there is some sort of favoritism in the present implementation of the PBO.
He cited the Leganes PUJs which, he said, was given a route where it passes by the city's two big malls.
On the other hand, Grejarte said they are also planning to bring to the attention of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) the apparent continued issuance of franchises to new routes despite the moratorium which has been in effect since the year 2000.
Grejarte, observed that several new routes have been approved by LTFRB recently like those of Jaro Liko and Villa jeepneys.
He said, they will be pushing that before any issuance of new franchises the LTFRB should consult first with the SP.
Meanwhile, Councilor Plagata admitted in a radio interview that there are indeed loopholes in the implementation of the PBO.
Plagata said, he has yet to receive the letter of Fijoda but he goes with the idea that the city proper should be totally cleared of provincial PUJs.
He vowed to thoroughly review the implementation of the PBO to address all the concerns of the drivers of passenger jeepneys as well as the commuters.