MANILA, Philippines - Operators of buses from Quezon City made good yesterday on their threat to defy a city council resolution that banned the entry of buses without private terminals in Manila.
Even PVP Liner, a bus firm that has a private terminal in the city, joined the protest.
Mayor Joseph Estrada – clad in military camouflage from his jacket, his long-sleeved button-front shirt and his loafers – and Vice Mayor Isko Moreno arrived at the Welcome Rotunda about 6 a.m. and joined the local police in preventing buses from forcing their way into Manila’s roads. Drivers who insisted were fined and their buses were impounded.
Bus operators and the city officials eventually agreed to hold a dialogue at the city hall to resolve their disagreements over the month-old provisional bus ban.
Breaking the ice
During the dialogue, Estrada faced the operators and warned them in jest: “No threats, we can talk. I thought you would force your way through, so I was prepared. Just like with the MILF, I will stand my ground.â€
Estrada’s joke, which broke the tension that gripped city officials and bus operators, referred to the all-out-war that he declared against separatist Muslim group Moro Islamic Liberation Front during his presidency in 2000.
During the dialogue, the operators complained of the expensive terminal fees they have to pay private parking building Park N Ride just so they can traverse the city’s roads. They added that the management of Park N Ride could not give them a uniform terminal fee.
They also complained that bus firms are bound to lose profits because passengers would opt to ride jeepneys and vans instead of going to their terminals.
A heated dialogue initially ensued. Those who are not bus owners even joined the talks and claimed they are losing millions.
A heated exchange further ensued between Moreno and RRCG bus operator Roberto Torres when the latter claimed that his company now has to pay a heft sum of about P200,000 for a monthly terminal fee when it did not shell out a single centavo to pay bribes before the ban was enforced.
“Of course you won’t admit it,†an irked Moreno said.
Adjustments
The “experimental†solution will remain, Moreno said, until the city government finds more ways to improve the traffic flow.
He added that they have already adjusted the number of allowable buses in Manila from 150 to about 300 just to accommodate the companies.
Estrada said that they were able to agree on a much lower terminal fee following a meeting with Park N Ride vice president Estelita Javier. “Now, everybody’s happy,†he said.
Javier said they agreed on a daily terminal fee of P120 for buses coming from the south.
A special discount of P75, meanwhile, was given to buses coming from Fairview, Quezon City because their route requires them to rent spaces in two different terminals, the Park N Ride and the TriModal.
“My clients are glad that the disagreement was finally resolved,†said Ferdinand Topacio, lawyer of the bus operators.