Taxi groups fear 'death' with 'tourist bus' operation
Taxi operators and drivers under the Alliance of Panay Taxi Operators and Drivers' Associations (Aptoda) have formally registered their opposition to the planned entry of “tourist buses” at the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan to be operated by the Philippine Visitors, Investors Services and Assistance, Inc. (Philvisa).
The group in a “manifesto of opposition” addressed to Mayor Jerry Treñas, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) regional director Porfirio Clavel, Department of Tourism (DOT) regional director Edwin Trompeta and the Sangguniang Panglungsod expressed that allowing the entry of the said buses would affect the income of around 3,000 drivers and could eventually result to loss of employment.
According to reports, Philvisa, which got endorsement from DOT, will initially operate six buses that will cater to passengers from the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan to Iloilo City and vice versa.
In a press conference last Friday, Atty. Edeljulio Romero, legal counsel of Merriam Transport Services which operates shuttle vans to the airport, said it is not necessary to have an additional transport service from the airport as the existing transportation services catering airport passengers are more than enough to serve the riding public.
Atty. Joseph Vincent Go, owner of Light of Glory Taxi Services, on the other hand, said allowing the operation of Philvisa is in violation of the city's Perimeter Boundary Ordinance which limits the entry of buses in the city to avert traffic congestion. “It will violate the equal protection clause,” said Go.
Go, added that the Philvisa buses have no franchise of their own thus making their operation illegal. He said the tourist buses operate under the franchise of another bus company licensed to operate from Parañaque City to any point of the Philippines.
Go said such operation is unfair to other transport companies.
Aptoda in their manifesto also pointed out that the buses will be used to convey the general riding public and not for the exclusive use of tourists, as envisioned and defined by the LTFRB.
“Once these buses start their operations, existing transport services like taxi cab units, GT vans, shuttle vans and even jeepney units will be greatly marginalized and these will ultimately be unjustly subjected to serious economic dislocation,” the Aptoda manifesto added.
Go also cited that the DOT endorsed the entry of Philvisa without studying its economic impact as well as the legal aspect of its operations.
“There should be a balance between the need of the riding public and the livelihood of taxi drivers or transport operators. As of now it is apparent that transportation services at the airport is adequate enough so there's no need for another transport service to cater to the airport,” Go stressed.
Go and his fellow taxi operators vowed to strongly block the operations of Philvisa buses which they deem as a threat to the more than 1,500 taxi cabs operating in the city and the entire island of Panay.