Bathrooms in bus terminals free for next two months

CEBU, Philippines — Starting today, August 1, passengers at the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) and Cebu North Bus Terminal (CNBT) can now use the comfort rooms for free, following a new agreement between the Cebu Provincial Government and Mister Loo Philippines (MLP).

The temporary arrangement, which will last for two months, was made in response to Governor Pamela Baricuatro’s Executive Order No. 12, mandating free access to regular public toilets in all provincial terminals.

The EO aligns with Republic Act No. 11311, which prohibits the collection of fees for the use of standard terminal sanitary facilities.

Baricuatro confirmed that MLP agreed to waive fees while the Capitol carries out improvements on existing toilet facilities in both terminals.

“We have come up with an agreement with Mister Loo nga while we are fixing the public toilets in both CSBT and CNBT, they will give the toilets to us free of charge for two months,” she said.

MLP has been collecting P10 for regular toilet use and P20 for its premium facilities, but under this agreement, passengers will not be charged for either type of facility

Baricuatro emphasized that the provincial government is also revisiting the terms and conditions of its existing contract with MLP, particularly its 5% revenue-sharing arrangement.

Instead of a revenue-sharing setup, the Capitol is eyeing a shift to a fixed lease agreement, which it believes would be more transparent and beneficial to public interest.

The governor noted that MLP has so far been cooperative in the ongoing talks.

“They've been cooperative man ‘nuon so we have no problems dealing with them,” Baricuatro said.

MLP began its operations at CSBT on December 21, 2023, under a five-year contract set to expire in December 2028. The company earns an estimated P33,000 per day from CSBT operations and reportedly collected P7 million in 2023.

To recall, MLP once made a P1 million offer to the Capitol as part of its entry proposal into the province’s terminal sanitation services.

The Capitol has also ordered a review of all existing contracts involving terminal operations and facilities.   BRP (CEBU NEWS)