DOTC denies cancelling Pantranco franchise as employees hold rally

By Mar T. Supnad  

The Department of Transportation and Communication denied Wednesday the DOTC cancelled the franchise of defunct Pantranco North Express, Inc., bringing relief to protesting employees of the once biggest government bus firm.  

DOTC Undersecretary Rafael Santos for planning and operations, told Pantranco employees headed by two Union presidents Romy Alfonso and Jun Pascua of Pantranco Retrenched Employees Association (PANREA) and Pantranco Employees Association (PEA), in a meeting inside the DOTC office in Ortigas, Manila Wednesday morning that DOTC Sec. Mar Roxas only ordered a review on status of the Pantranco franchise’s revival if it is in order.

Santos said the DOTC did not cancel the franchise, contrary to what other bus competitors were floating in newspapers.   

Pantranco employees led by Alfonso and Pascua held a rally in front of the DOTC office in Ortigas earlier that day to protest what they called biased action and statement of  Roxas on the Pantranco franchise that was legitimately, they said, sold to the Hernandez family.

DOTC officials were reportedly alarmed by the rally since President Aquino’s convoy passed through the road where the rallyists were holding their protest, prompting them to ask for a meeting with union leaders.

Prior to the sale of Pantranco franchise, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), ruled, after a legal battle and deliberations, that the bus franchise was legitimate and in order.

The LTFRB awarded the franchise to the employees who in turn, sold it to Hernandez family for their compensation as ruled by the Supreme Court.

Alfonso and Pascua said what the more than 2,000 employees of Pantranco were asking  was “social justice” from the government after the bus company closed shop due to bankruptcy when the government took over its management and operations.

The sale of the franchise caused the resignation of  LTFRB board member Atty. Manuel Iway who  informed President Aquino about his irrevocable resignation effective July 15, following attacks from other bus operators. 

Iway and board member Samuel Garcia outvoted LTFRB chairman Jaime Jacob in resolving the Pantranco issue, in favor of Pantranco employees, last month.

But Iway stood by his decision regarding the Pantranco case and said it was based on previous board decisions regarding revival of a franchise, and in compliance with the decision of the Court of Appeals, which would result in finally obtaining justice for more than 2,000 retrenched employees of Pantranco."

"As much as I admire the talents and work ethics of Secretary Roxas, as well as his right as DOTC Secretary to overturn the LTFRB’s decisions, I am pained that he would react to the Pantranco franchise incident in the manner that he did, and ultimately put your administration and LTFRB’s reputation in a bad light," Iway told the President in his letter.

"While I can assure you that there is no truth to those ridiculous claims, I know it will take a miracle to convince those who have no faith in your “DaangMatuwid” policy and will continue to use the Pantranco franchise incident as another reason to attack your administration," he said.

The employees also accused Roxas of being biased for not listening to the employees saying he referred to take the side of the rich bus companies whose interest was just to block the selling of Pantranco franchise to promote their own selfish interests.