FILE PHOTO: A bus on Edsa.聽 INQUIRER/ NI脩O JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� As many passengers were left stranded amid the implementation of the window-hour scheme, two government agencies at the helm of the program鈥檚 implementation have blamed provincial bus operators for the confusion.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said provincial bus operators 鈥渟abotaged鈥� and took passengers hostage by interpreting the policy differently.
LTFRB executive director Maria Kristina Cassion said Friday that provincial bus operators took passengers hostage by only scheduling trips at night, even though they can still travel in the morning.
鈥淎ng nangyari po ay naging hostage 鈥榶ung ating mga pasahero sa mga demands ng mga provincial bus operators from the north na pinipilit nila talaga at iniiba nila ang interpretasyon doon sa agreement nila with MMDA,鈥� Cassion said in an interview with Teleradyo on Friday.
(The passengers became hostage to the demands of our provincial bus operators from the north. They are interpreting their agreement with MMDA differently.)
Cassion made the remark following聽travel advisories posted by some provincial bus companies,聽saying departures and arrivals from their respective Metro Manila terminals will only take place from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
The MMDA earlier set window hours for provincial buses from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Buses鈥� origins and points of destination beyond the said window hours should only be at specific integrated terminals where city buses can ferry the passengers.
READ: MMDA explains confusing policy
鈥淪o ibig sabihin na kailangan nilang bumyahe maaraw man o maggabi but they chose to interpret it in such a way na gabi lang daw sila bibyahe pero kung titingnan natin 鈥榶ung kanilang special permit ay 鈥榶ung kanilang prangkisa ay nakasaad doon sa mga terms and conditions doon na they have the responsibility to transport passengers at any time of the day when there is demand,鈥� Cassion said.
(That means they have to operate in the morning or evening but they chose to interpret in such a way that they can only travel at night. But if we look at their special permit in their franchise, it鈥檚 stated there in their terms of conditions that they聽have the responsibility to transport passengers at any time of the day when there is demand.)
鈥淭hey are very defiant. Gusto nila talaga at any time of the day doon sila sa private terminals nila. Ayaw nila magpa-control, ayaw nilang magpa-regulate. That鈥檚 just the bottomline聽kaya sila nagiimbento ng rason na sa gabi lang sila mago-operate,鈥� she added.
(They are very defiant. They really want to be able to go to their private terminals at any time of the day. They do not want to be controlled and regulated. That鈥檚 just the bottomline, that鈥檚 why they are inventing a reason that they can only operate at night.)
READ: Transport agency clarifies MMDA rule
鈥楽础叠翱罢础骋贰鈥�
For his part, MMDA chairman Atty. Romando Artes branded the move of provincial bus operators to not schedule trips in the morning as a 鈥渟abotage.鈥�
鈥淗inostage po nila鈥� Ito po ay sasabihin ko na ng diretsuhan, mukha pong sinabotahe nila or sinadya nila 鈥榶ung hindi pagbyahe,鈥� Artes said in a separate interview with Teleradyo.
(They took the passengers hostage鈥� I will say this straight, it looks like they are sabotaging or consciously choosing not to operate.)
鈥淕usto po kasi nila na magtuloy-tuloy 鈥榶ung ating pagluluwag na makapagbaba at makapagsakay sila sa kani-kanilang terminal (They want to be able to continue to transport passengers to and from their own terminals),鈥� he added.
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