Group sets appeal to SC vs ban on provincial buses

A party-list group, which is among the petitioners questioning the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA)’s ban on provincial buses along EDSA, vowed to file a motion for reconsideration after the Supreme Court (SC) dismissed the petitions based on technicality.

The ban would cover buses from Northern and Central Luzon which commuters said, would make travel to and from Manila unbearable and more expensive.  

Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr. of Ako Bicol party-list said the high court should have taken jurisdiction over the petitions, adding that there are “genuine issues of constitutionality” that must be threshed out and resolved.

               Saying the proper venue is a lower court, the SC junked the three petitions filed separately by Ako Bicol and Bayan Muna party-list groups and Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, which sought to stop the MMDA from implementing Metro Manila Council (MMC) Resolution 19-002.

The resolution canceled the business permits of provincial buses along EDSA, which transferred their stations to ones designated by the MMDA such as the transport terminals in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Valenzuela City and the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange.

The MMC is the MMDA’s policy-making body, which is composed of 17 mayors in Metro Manila.

The high tribunal ruled that the petitioners should have filed their petitions before a lower court or the Court of Appeals.

“With all due respect and without prejudice to the filing of our motion for reconsideration, the SC should have taken jurisdiction as in other cases it decided wherein direct resort to SC is allowed when there are issues of constitutionality,” Garbin said. 

He maintained that the constitutionality issues raised in the petition as well as the urgency to address the same should serve as “exceptionally compelling reasons” for the SC to step in and resolve the matter.

“Among others, our petition raised an issue of constitutionality on whether or not the MMDA committed grave abuse of discretion in the issuance of the regulation,” Garbin said.