The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) denied Friday, April 22, that there was a disconnect between the agency and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) which led to the confusion of the newly implemented window hours scheme for provincial buses.
MMDA Chairman Romando Artes even scored the bus operators for supposedly setting up the MMDA and LTFRB so that the commuters will get angry at them.
“Wala pong turuan na nangyari, sila po ang gumagawa ng issue. Tila pinagsasabong po ang MMDA at LTFRB. Malinaw po ang polisiya ng pamahalaan (There was no fingerpointing and they are the ones who create an issue. It appears they want to make MMDA and LTFRB fight. The policy of the government is clear),” Artes said at a Laging Handa press briefing.
Earlier this week, many commuters criticized the MMDA, LTFRB, and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for the alleged confusing policy on the window hours scheme for provincial buses.
Various bus operators such as the First North Luzon Transit, Inc., Five Star Bus, and Victory Liner among others reportedly announced that they would suspend their trips due to the new window hours being imposed on provincial buses from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
But Artes clarified that the new policy does not prohibit bus operators to ply their routes outside of the said window hours.
He explained that the window hours was a “gentleman’s agreement” between the MMDA and the bus operators to allow the latter to operate outside of their private terminals.
Confusing policy explained
The issue stemmed when the MMDA announced the start of a two-week dry run for the return of the provincial buses along EDSA last March 24.
“Bilang paghahanda sa pagpasok ng buses sa Metro Manila, naginspect po ang LTFRB sa mga pribadong istasyon at terminal ng mga bus. Wala pong pumasa base sa memorandum circular nila na nagsasaad ng guidelines para makapagoperate ng mga pribadong terminal ang mga buses (As part of the preparation for the entry of the provincial buses in Metro Manila, the LTFRB inspected private bus stations and terminals. Not one bus operator passed the guidelines of the LTFRB for them to be allowed to operate private terminals based on the agency’s memorandum circular),” Artes revealed.
The MMDA chief said that the guidelines were consistent with the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)-backed national development program of the government which states that buses that are entering Metro Manila should terminate in integrated terminal exchanges (ITX) such as the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) for those coming from south and North Luzon Express Terminal (NLET) for those coming from the north.
However, the bus operators allegedly asked the MMDA to implement a window hours where they can still ply their routes without having to go through the integrated terminal exchanges in consideration of the commuters who are taking public transportation at night.
Artes said the LTFRB granted the request of the bus operators upon communicating with the MMDA.
“Ang sinasabing kalituhan nitong Holy Week, muling dumulog sa ating tanggapan ang bus operators para payagan na sila na magsakay at magbaba sa kanilang mga pribadong terminal kahit outside sa window hour para sa paghahanda ng pagdagsa ng mga pasahero na uuwi sa kani-kanilang mga probinsya sa Semana Santa (The confusion that they were saying during the Holy Week happened when the bus operators requested again to allow them to board and alight passengers in their private terminals even outside the window hour in time for the exodus of passengers who will go to their home provinces for the Lenten Season)," Artes explained.
The LTFRB granted the second appeal of the bus operators but only until Tuesday, April 19. After that, the bus operators will have to terminate their trips in integrated terminal exchanges and not in their private terminals or stations.
'Left hanging'
Ang problem po, mukha pong sinadya ng bus operators na ipitin ang mga pasahero noong Miyerkules. Kahit alam na nila na hindi na dapat gamitin ang terminals nila outside of the window hour, pinagantay po nila ang mga pasahero hanggang alas 10 ng gabi (The problem is that, it appears the bus operators really left the passengers hanging last Wednesday. Even if they already knew that they could not use their private terminals outside of the window hour, they still let the passengers wait until 10 p.m.),” Artes said.
The MMDA chief clarified that bus operators can still ply their routes outside the window hours but they have to end their trips at the designated integrated terminal exchanges like PITX and NLET, not in the private terminals.
“Malinaw po iyan. It’s just that ang aming sariling inisyatibo ay ang window hour dahil sa kahilingan ng bus operators para sa kapakanan ng mga bumabyahe sa gabi. So wala naman pong kalituhan dapat dyan (That (guideline) is clear. The window hour is our initiative born out of the request of the bus operators for the welfare of the passengers who are commuting at night),” Artes said.
“Sa amin pong palagay, sinadya po ito para magalit ang tao sa LTFRB, sa MMDA para po majustify yung pagbubukas ng terminals sa EDSA at Manila, at magamit po ito ng buong araw even outside the window hours (We think that this issue is concocted to allow the people to get angry at the LTFRB and MMDA, and to justify the opening of private terminals on EDSA and in Manila so they can use it for the whole day even outside the window hours),” he added.