MANILA, Philippines – Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno on Thursday, July 25, took to task the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) for not consulting with the city government before giving franchises to buses without terminals.

He was reacting to LTFRB executive director Roberto Cabrera III’s statement, calling Manila’s bus ban illegal, and complaining in an ABS-CBN report that the city government of Manila did not consult the agency about it.

Cabrera said the ban overrides franchises that the LTFRB granted to the bus lines to ply Manila’s streets.

Manila started implementing on Tuesday an ordinance banning from Manila’s streets buses that do not have terminals in the city.

“Ang tanong din namin, kinonsulta ba nila kami nung nagbigay sila ng prangkisa? (Let us ask them: Did they consult us when they gave [bus operator] franchises?)” Moreno asked.

READ: Manila starts ban on buses without terminals

But Moreno said they observed due process of law. He also clarified consultations were done, but with bus operators and not the LTFRB.

“Hindi namin sila kinausap dahil hindi namin sila kailangang [kausapin]…. I think it’s high time for LTFRB, na bago magbigay ng prangkisa, ay konsultahin muna ang mga lokal na pamahalaan [at] hindi lamang ang siyudad ng Maynila,”  he explained.

(We did not talk to them because we didn’t need to…. I think it’s high time for LTFRB to consult local governments – and not just Manila – before giving franchises.)

Clearer roads

For now, Moreno said, an ordinance that regulates the entry of city and provincial buses has been set in place and should be followed by everyone.

“It’s very clear under Republic Act 7160, which is the Local Government Code of the country, that the city has power to regulate roads, avenues, sidewalks, highways, and boulevards,” he said in Filipino.

In his estimate, and with only 8-10 bus terminals within the city, about 700-800 buses were removed from the roads of Manila since the ban took place.

“We see na ang laki ng epekto sa kaluwagan pagdating sa trapiko sa Maynila, and we will sustain this. We’re on track on attending to the traffic problem [of the] city,” he said.

(We see the big effect on clearer roads when it comes to Manila traffic, and we will sustain this. We’re on track in attending to the city’s traffic problem.)

He added that the remaining public utility vehicles – jeeps, FXs, taxis, tricycles, LRT – are more than enough to accommodate commuters. 

Moreno urged Manila’s neighboring cities to follow suit, noting that while the ordinance is for the greater welfare of Manileños, it still affects commuters from other cities.

“If we can do this, they can do it also. It’s just political will,” he said.

He also asked commuters to change their habits – whether they have to sleep earlier, wake up earlier, or walk to their offices and schools.

Violators of the new ordinance will be fined P500, P900, P2,000, and P2,500, depending on the violation. Since Tuesday, no bus has been fined yet, said Moreno.

But the bus ban is just the beginning.

Tricycles, pedicabs next

Yesterday, the local government already met with drivers of tricycles, pedicabs and kuligligs during a public hearing. 

A new ordinance on these vehicles may be released in two weeks, but drivers were already given one month to remove colorums and to stop passing through major thoroughfares of Manila.

To track traffic violations and crimes on the streets, 8 CCTV cameras have also been installed in major interesections of Manila, with 500 more to come within the year. – Rappler.com