Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB 7) regional director Reynaldo Elnar talks to drivers who staged a protest against the plan to phase-out old jeepneys. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
Traffic in Metro Cebu remained normal yesterday as a transport protest by jeepney drivers and operators failed to paralyze transportation.
Around 50 drivers joined a picket in front of the Land Transportation Franchise and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) 7 office in the North Reclamation Area in Cebu City at 10 a.m.
They held placards criticizing President Aquino and Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya for the planned phase-out of jeepneys over 15 years old
Lapu-Lapu City was slightly affected with a a 10 percent decrease in PUJs at around 6:30 a.m., said Frank Brazil, head of the City Traffic Management System. but the situation was back to normal at past 10 a.m.
It had no impact in Cebu City and Mandaue City.
Brazil said the Lapu-Lapu city government deployed two tourist buses and seven barangay vehicles to ferry some stranded passengers from Lapu-Lapu City to Park Mall in Mandaue City.
The buses had at least seven trips while the barangay vehicles has at least one trip each.
In Cebu City, no buses were fielded since traffic flow remained normal.
In Mandaue City, Rey Puno, head of the enforcement unit of the Traffic Enforcement Agency in Mandaue (TEAM), said government vehicles were standing by but did not have to be fielded.
At least 30 TEAM enforcers were deployed to monitor the streets.
Rudy Laconza, chairman of the Alliance of Transport Organization Member Intra Cebu City (ATOMIC), admitted that they have not crippled the transportation system in the major cities .
He said there was not enough information given in time to fellow drivers.
But Laconza said their protest action succeeded in letting the government know of their discontent.
Protest placards protested the planned phaseout of jeepneys without consultation.
Reynaldo Elnar, LTFRB 7 regional director, came out to address the drivers.
He said proposed PUJ phase-out was just a draft department order and is still subject for consultation with various section.
Elnar advised the leaders of the transport groups to visit his office on Thursday at 10 a.m. to talk about the matter and submit position papers.
He said all concerns of the transport groups will be discussed in the LTFRB’s monthly meeting at the central office in Manila.