Transport groups in Bacolod City have called on city officials to assist them in renewing their permits so they can continue operating in the city.
Rudy Catedral, president of the Bacolod Alliance of Commuters Operators and Drivers Inc. (BACOD)-Manibela, stated that at least 1,000 of their members participated in a protest rally at the Bacolod public plaza on Friday, November 29, the last day for the extension of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board’s (LTFRB) public utility vehicle (PUV) consolidation requirement.
“It’s the LTFRB’s deadline, but we stand firm in our decision not to join this system,” Catedral explained.
He further emphasized that the implementation of the modernization program has been a failure and that their members will not join the cooperatives required by the program.
Catedral noted that they halted their operations early that morning, assembling at the Araneta-Magsaysay flyover and Barangay Bata flyover around 6 a.m. They resumed their operations on Saturday morning, November 30.
The rally was attended by members of BACOD-Manibela, Kabacod Negros Transport Organization (KNETCO), and Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (UNDOC PISTON).
Catedral admitted that they had failed to secure a rally permit from the City Mayor’s Office, leading to their dispersal by the police around 10 a.m. They were instructed to move to the public plaza.
He pointed out that while they had submitted a request for a rally permit in previous months, the city had not granted their request.
Catedral also appealed to Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez to fulfill his promises to help them renew their permits so they can continue their operations.
City Legal Officer Romeo Carlos Ting, Jr. had earlier stated that the city government and the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) would enforce the no-permit, no-rally policy.
Ting noted that rallies have sometimes turned violent when participants feel their concerns are not addressed, and emphasized that transport groups must notify the city three days in advance if they wish to hold a rally at the public plaza.
“They should notify us at least three days before their event,” he added.
