Opening of Sagada-Manila bus route hit; protest filed

By Gina Dizon

SAGADA, Mountain Province – A company is set to start trips to this tourist town from Manila and vice versa I time for the lenten season and summer but jeepney drivers here said passengers should embark in the capital town of Bontoc so they will ride their jeeps when they go to Sagada. 

Trips from Manila were stopped months ago after a bus fell down a ravine in the capital town of Bontoc this province wherein scores of people died. 

This, time, for passengers going to Manila from Sagada and  vice versa via the   Bontoc-Banaue route, CODA bus lines will offer  afternoon trips at 2:30 p.m. from Sagada to Manila and an 8 a.m. trip from  Manila to Sagada.

In Baguio City, Mountain Province Rep. MaximoDalog affirmed this saying resumption of trips would benefit the province in terms of tourism growth.  

He said this was timely considering that the Lang-ay Festival in the capital town of Bontoc would start April 10 to coincide with celebration of the province’s foundation anniversary.   

Protest however was lodged by Sagada Operators and Drivers Association (at the Land Franchising and Regulatory Board against CODA’s covered trip to Sagada citing economic dislocation.

SODA wants CODA’s Manila to Sagada and vice versa  trips have their loading and unloading of passengers in Bontoc and not in Sagada.

SODA’s petition signed by its members and some 200 residents of Sagada reached the regional LTFRB.

It was learned that said petition was forwarded to LTFRB central office.

SODA with some 40 driver-operator members have been plying the  Sagada-Bontoc  route for years  from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. and  Bontoc-Sagada from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

CODA lines Corp. (formerly KMS) is set to start trips from Manila to Sagada  at 8 p.m., Manila to Bontoc at 8:30 p.m., Manila to Ifugao at 8:30 p.m., Sagada to Manila at 2:30 p.m., Bontoc  to Manila at 3:30, Ifugao to Manila at 6 p.m., Baguio to Maddela at 8:30 p.m., Baguio to Kiangan at 9 p.m., Baguio to Banaue  at 9:30 p.m., Maddela to Baguio at 4 p.m., Kiangan to Baguio at 7 p.m. and Banaue to Baguio at 6 p.m.

Coda lines’ trip schedules  intends  to open April this year.