Baguio City council seeks expansion of jeepney routes

By Ramon Dacawi

BAGUIO CITY -- The city council will ask Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas to allow public utility jeepneys here to extend their lines to areas still not served and not covered but near their existing franchise routes .

At the same time, the local legislature last Monday asked its committee on laws to subject to public hearing a proposal to extend jeepney service to 9:30 p.m. to serve students going home from their evening classes.

In proposing a lifting of the moratorium on extension of lines, councilor Richard Carino said several jeepney associations would like to extend their service to new communities near their existing routes but could not because of a ban.

He pointed out that a memorandum from the transportation secretary dated June 8, 2007 did not include extension of lines among the franchising functions of the regional office of the Department of Transportation and Communications.

“Petition for extension of line does not entail the entry of new units, hence it will be more practical and in keeping with the moratorium imposed by the (Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board),” Carino explained.

As a case in point, Carino said drivers servicing Camp 7 would like to extend their route to the new campus of the St. Louis University at Bakakeng.

The council petition will be sent after its committee on public utilities headed by councilor Nicasio Aliping Jr. has identified the new routes needed to be serviced by jeepney associations already plying adjacent routes.

Taking the cue from her father, city councilor Karminn Cheryl Dinney Yangot also proposed that all jeepney lines should make available units in their respective loading stations until 9:30 p.m. for the sake of students going home from their evening classes.

The measure, which will be subjected to a public hearing, seeks to extend by 30 minutes the so-called “last trip” set at 9:00 p.m. as per Ordinance 066 that her father, then city councilor Leandro Yangor Jr., introduced in 1995.

The existing ordinance provides as sanction the revocation of the designated parking space of a jeepney association which does not abide by the same.

In introducing the same, the elder Yangot noted that most jeepney associations then did not have any unit left in their loading stations as early as 8:00 p.m.
“Students and other evening passengers who can not afford the higher taxicab fares are forced to take taxicabs in order to reach home early and and are at the same time deprived of an affordable means of transportation,” the ordinance said.

The amendatory measure is likely to pass after it has been subjected to a public hearing to be set by the council’s committee on laws headed by councilor Richard Carino.

In last Monday’s session, councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda said she is for the measure, but noted that “we can not even implement the (present) 9:00 p.m. (rule)”.

Vice-mayor and presiding officer Daniel Farinas pointed out some jeepney stations might have stopped assigning units as there were no longer passengers even before 9:00 p.m.

That’s why there’s a need for a public hearing, suggested councilor Edison Bilog.