Negros transport groups – fare hike not enough

Negros drivers groups Sunday said the hike in fares for public transport is not enough to alleviate their plight with the numerous price increases that have haunted them.

Jessie Ortega, United Negros Drivers Operations Center (UNDOC) secretary general, pointed out that the elimination of the Expanded Value Added Tax (VAT) on oil products is better than the 50 centavo fare hike.

LTFRB chair Thompson Lantion said the fare increases will take effect tomorrow Wednesday 12:01 a.m.

The increase for the Visayas will be 50 centavos for jeepneys and a 10 centavo increase per kilometer for ordinary buses and 25 centavos per kilometer for airconditioned buses.

For Ortega, the 50-centavo increase will not address the difficulty of drivers. Besides, it is difficult to provide change for a P7.50 fare.

On the other hand, Elizabeth Katalbas, president of the Federation of Bacolod City Drivers Association, (FEBACD) said the 50 centavos is not enough to meet the rising costs of drivers who had petitioned for an increase of P1.50.

She cited the increase in the cost of fuel and other needed spare parts of vehicles.

She also accused Lantion of failing to provide the additional P2 per liter government subsidy on fuel to all transport groups.

As a matter of a fact, there has been a growing clamor for the ouster of Lantion from the LTFRB for his alleged failure to address he needs of the transport groups.

Well, for the moment, one can only watch the outburst of tempers from among the drivers groups who seem mollified by the government’s efforts to ease their plight.

The other problem is that the riding public seems to have been lost in the bargain.

Dialogue over Mt. Kanlaon buffer zone

As of press time, Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra and Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes president a dialogue among stakeholders on the PNOC-EDC proposal to enter the buffer zone of the Mt. Kanlaon National Park to dig for geothermal power.

Prior to the morning conference, Bishop Navarra had already issued a statement to the Visayan Daily STAR restating that he will maintain his opposition to the PNOC-EDC proposal. This despite the dialogue with Reyes.

Also present in the dialog were PNOC president Paul Aquino and Negros Occidental Gov. Isidro Zayco with two mayors – Mayors Esteban Coscolluela and Bayo City Mayor Torres.

Prior to that, last week, Bishop Navarra told Sec. Reyes that he was giving the nod to the government’s proposal but with very serious reservations.

“There’s nothing we can do about it if the government wants it,” Bishop Navarra put it.

Anyway, the first portion that I caught before coming out of the confab to write this column was the briefing by PNOC that the buffer zone area which the agency wants to get amounts to only 12.5 hectares on 0.5 percent of the 169 hectare buffer zone.

As of press time, the dialog is still ongoing. The outcome may be reached by this afternoon.

A big group of environmentalists attended the session. This included representatives of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Bacolod Fil-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry led by James Chua.

So, by next column, I may be able to come out with the decision or compromise reached.

NPA used humans as shields

Brig. Gen. Nestor Ochoa of the 3rd Infantry Division yesterday hit the New People’s Army for using civilians as human shields in the encounter between the 78th IB last week where two NPA members ended as casualties.

The firefight took place in Barangay Igcabugo in Igbaras town in Iloilo.

The encounter reportedly included top members of the Gabion family. The rebels ran to their house when the soldiers fired back at them.

The NPA fatalities were identified as Joel Camat, 22, of Leon town and Julito Carpio of Tubungan, Iloilo.

Jose Gabion and his 10-year-old daughter are now confined at a hospital in Iloilo.

Aside from the two NPA combatants, the soldiers also killed an amazon. The latter, however, was dragged away by her comrades. But the troopers kept mum as to the identify of the other amazon who was reportedly captured. The PA troopers also recovered two M-16 Armalite rifles, two bandoleers of ammunition and nine backpacks.

“We are still conducting an investigation. So, we cannot temporarily disclosed her identity,” was how AFP 32nd Civil Relations Unit commander. Capt. Lowen Gil Marquez, put it.

It is suspected that the amazon may be somebody big enough to warrant her identity being kept secret. Well, watch for developments.

ADDENDUM. A policeman who was involved in a commotion inside a Pototan town cockpit is facing administrative and criminal charges, according to Superintendent Ricardo dela Paz, Iloilo provincial chief. PO2 Rollen Labios of the Pototan police station faces administrative charges for grave misconduct and a criminal complaint for grave threat. Labios claimed he was monitoring wanted person, Noel Tecson, inside the cockpit but ended up threatening businessman Ricky Parreño. The later claimed that Labios appeared drunk when he trained his gun at him. Dela Paz has ordered the suspension of Labios.