- LFRB XI says Davao Public Transport Modernization Project still a go
THE LAND Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) XI has not received any official communication from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Malacañang to suspend the Davao Public Transport Modernization Program (DPTMP).
During the Kapihan forum on Sept. 9, Atty. Ernest Nez Davila, LTFRB XI legal officer, said the project would likely proceed based on instructions from their central office.
“We received the resolution of the Senate on the PTMP but as per directive from our central office, the absence of any official pronouncement, like the secretary itself, Sec. Bautista from DOTr, and the President to suspend the program, if there were no official announcement from them, patuloy ang implementation,” Davila said.
Last month, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. nixed the Senate’s call to suspend the PTMP’s implementation as he stressed that the program had been pushed back seven times already.
“Those that have been objecting or have been crying out for suspension are in the minority. Eighty percent have already consolidated. So papano naman? Yung 20% ang mag-dedecide nung buhay ng 100? So pakinggan natin ang majority. At ang majority sinasabi, ituloy natin. So that’s what we do,” the President said in an interview.
The DPTMP was formally launched with the signing of the loan agreement between the national government and the Asian Development Bank at Acacia Hotel on July 1, 2023. The loan paves the way for the Davao High Priority Bus System, which would cover 29 routes and nearly 700 kilometers of roads even reaching its next-door neighbor Panabo City.
To address commuters’ challenges
To address the lack of jeepneys in Davao City, Davila said the office implemented the Peak Hours Augmentation Bus Service (PHABS) to accommodate more commuters during peak hours.
“We already implemented PHABS, wherein bus operators who are willing to operate on selected routes in Davao City during peak hours,” Davila said.
He added that Transportation Network Vehicle Service (TNVS), which refers to the innovative ride-hailing system offered by Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) in the country, were also introduced in the city.
“We have roughly less than 500 and increasing TNVS in the city,” he added.
