Situation of Cebu North Bus Terminal on December 24, 2022. | [FILE PHOTO] CDN Digital Photo by Morexette Marie Erram
According to LTO-7 Chief of Operations Division Aden Belza, LTO Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II issued a memorandum on September 26, 2023, for the ‘Oplan Biyaheng Ayos for Undas 2023.’
Belza said that Mendoza advised the transportation personnel to conduct the ‘oplan’ on those dates.
The activity is valid from October 16 to November 3.
The oplan has two phases. The first phase is done from October 16 to 26, while the second phase is from October 27 to November 3.
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First phase
In the first phase, the transport personnel will conduct inspections on the buses.
“Ang atong current situation karon [is] we’re able to inspect a total of 89 buses [which is] a combination from north bus and south bus terminal as of October 23,” Belza said.
(Our current situation [is] we’re able to inspect 89 buses [which is] a combination from north bus and south bus terminal as of October 23.)
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14 failed in bus inspections
Out of 89, only 75 buses passed the inspection.
“Ang 14 nga nahagbong, what we did is ato silang gipaayo, have given them a chance kay importante ra ba ang mga bus karong panahong tingbyahe,” he said.
(The 14 buses that failed, what we did is we asked them to have their buses fixed, haven them a chance because buses are important at this time of travel.)
Belza said that the reason other drivers failed in the inspection were due to various factors.
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Worn out tires, broken signal lights
“Naay mga nipis og ligid, naay mga broken signal lights, broken headlights ug windshield, [ug] kanang mga necessary nga safety signaling devices and equipment,” Belza said.
(There are those who have worn out tires, others have broken signal lights, broken headlights and windshield [and] the necessary safety signaling devices and equipment.)
Wheel problems
In a separate interview, Eduardo Montealto Jr. LTFRB-7 director, said they would not allow drivers to operate their vehicles with wheel problems.
“Di na namo e-allow. Mao nang pabalikon sa ilahang garahe kay aron ilisa’g ligid,” Montealto said.
(We will not allow that. That is why we let them go back to their garage and change their tires.)
Montealto added that LTO would also check the vehicles’ ‘roadworthiness’ because it was their joint responsibility with the LTFRB.
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Second phase
After the first phase, they will conduct “law enforcement” activity where law enforcers would arrest the bus drivers who failed to comply with the requirements, said Belza.
He said that they would no longer give a warning to the drivers.
“Ig phase 2 ani starting October 27 to November 3, modakop na gyud ta [og drivers] issue-han na nato sila. Di na ta mo allow,” he said.
(When phase 2 starts on October 27 to November 3, we will really apprehend [drivers], we will issue [citation tickets] to them. We will no longer allow.)
He said that they already gave the drivers a chance to fix their vehicles during the first phase.
Besides the inspections of buses, Eduardo Montealto Jr., LTFRB-7 director, said that they would also oversee the roadworks.
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Other measures
The LTFRB-7 director said that they would also check if the buses’ franchises were still up to date.
Moreover, Montealto said that the LTFRB-7 had also issued special permits to drivers.
The LTFRB issues special permits to the operators who have a certificate of public convenience allotted for driving outside their designated routes.
Special permits
The regulatory board has already released 80 special permits to the operators in region 7 including in Bohol and Dumaguete as of Tuesday, October 24.
The last day of issuance is on Wednesday, October 25, however, Montealto said that operators could still request special permits even after the deadline.
“Mohatag man gihapon ta pero amo pa nang ge-determine basig masobra ra pod kaayo,” he said.
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Reminders to drivers
Aside from the vehicle’s condition, Montealto said that the drivers should also be in good shape for their trip.
He said that the drivers should be in good condition to avoid any accidents on the road.