Commuters unhappy with loading area transfer

August 22, 2020 Metro BLISTT

The transfer of loading areas of public utility jitney lines to Gov. Pack Road is inconvenient to commuters especially to the elderly and persons with disability, according to several barangay officials.
During the city council’s regular session on August 17, 2020, the barangay officials of Districts 1 and 11 appealed to the council members to look into the implementation of Executive Order No. 114 Series of 2020 issued by Mayor Benjamin Magalong relocating the loading and staging areas of the public utility jitney servicing their localities.
Pursuant to EO 114-2020, the new loading areas for jitney lines bound for Mines View, Navy Base, Tiptop, Pacdal Liteng, Lucnab, Maria Basa, and Happy Hallow have been designated at Governor Pack Road; and their new staging areas have been designated at Sandico Street.
The barangay officials told the council the transfer of loading areas causes inconveniences to residents, especially to the eldery and PWDs.
“It was a sudden move. Our residents have difficulty walking all the way up to Governor Pack Road to reach the loading area especially when they are from the market which is almost a kilometer walk,” John Dongla, Punong Barangay of St. Joseph Village, said.
Abraham Lagasca, Punong Barangay of Pacdal, questioned the move claiming there was no public consultation with concerned groups such as the PUJ drivers’ associations and the residents. Lagasca also stressed it is economically burdensome on the part of commuters to take another ride from the loading and unloading area to their destination then vice versa.
“I hope we come up with a better plan addressing this matter especially now that we are experiencing a pandemic. We are exposing the senior citizens and the PWDs (to health risks) because we let them walk from the public market to the new loading area,” Lagasca added.
The Punong Barangays stressed they support the executive on the plan but had to voice out the sentiments of their constituents on the matter.
Reynaldo Roldan, a senior citizen and a resident of District 1, urged the Sanggunian’s Committee on Public Utilities, Transportation, and Traffic Legislation to further study the situation for possible remedies in behalf of the commuters.
Councilor Benny Bomogao, chairperson of the said committee, urged the barangay officials and the PUJ drivers to suggest more strategic places for their loading and staging areas to be considered by the city government.
Meanwhile, the drivers who attended the forum pushed for the return of their jitney lines to their old loading and staging areas and suggested they will adopt a pick-and-go scheme to prevent congestion in the areas.
The executive order which was issued on July 23, 2020, stated transferring the loading and staging areas of public utility jitneys to strategic locations will help decongest the traffic at the Central Business District. It further emphasized that the traffic problem and smoke pollution in the CBD “had reached an alarming level especially during rush hours, holidays, and weekends.”
Jordan G. Habbiling