Balanga City – Members of the Kaisahan ng mga Sasakyang Namamasada sa Bataan (KASAKBAYAN), a provincial public transport federation with a total member of 25 associations of different public utility vehicles (PUVs) plying the whole province of Bataan, protested the imposition of exorbitant terminal fees on a newly built terminal operated by a subcontractor of SM supermalls.
Cris Mira, ex-officio Chairman of KASAKBAYAN, said that jeepney drivers and operators were among the sectors hit hard by the enhanced community quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He added that only a very small number, or perhaps none at all, of the affected drivers were able to receive relief like the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) of the national government or other support from LGUs. A large number of them were left to fend for their own, while some even resorted to begging in order to bring food on their tables.
Despite the lowly situation of the sector, the issue regarding the privatization of the transport terminal adds up to the already heavy burden the jeepney drivers and operators have been carrying since.
Last May 3, Park Solutions, Inc., a subcontractor of SM Supermalls operating the terminal has imposed the implementation of terminal fees without consulting the transport sector.
The drivers were caught by surprise when they were obliged to pay a rental fee for the terminal or be barred from entering the facility. The cost charged daily would be at P80 per unit for mini buses, P50 for UV Express, P30 for jeepneys and P20 per unit for tricycles.
This cost, Mira added, would amount to as much as P20,000 to 30,000 a month per jeepney/vehicle association per slot. Also, additional P1,000 per unit is planned to be charged from the transport sector every month, aside from the P150 RFID fee by the terminal operator.
“Hindi pa nga kami nakakabiyahe, limitadong ayudang tinanggap, hindi pa namin alam kung paano kikita sa kalahating pasahero na isasakay namin, tapos sisingilin na kami agad ng terminal? Pasakit na sa’min ito,” Efren Montes, Secretary of KASAKBAYAN, lamented.
“Asan ba ang malasakit ng korporasyon at gobyerno sa mga tulad naming mga drivers at maliliit na operators?” Montes asked.
“Kailangan namin ay ayuda, tulong. Hindi pa nga kami nakakabangon, tinatapakan pa kami,” he added.
“Wala naman problema magbayad, ang gusto lang namin, una, konsultasyon muna, negosasyon. Ikalawa, huwag naman yung mataas na hindi na namin kakayanin, pandemya pa ngayon, wala pa kami halos kita dahil hindi pa full operation ang ating ekonomiya, wala pa ang mga pasahero dahil mga naka-work from home pa, mga estudyante nasa online school pa,” Lulu Monzon, President of Bataan United Bus Transport Service Cooperative (BUBTSC) and Treasurer of KASAKBAYAN, said.
“Dapat isipin ng SM na kami rin naman ang magdadala ng pasahero sa mall niya, dapat naman bigyan niya kami ng konsiderasyon. Sino ba ang kikita dito ng malaki? Kaya ang panawagan namin sa pamahalaan, sana magkaroon ng public terminal para sa public transport at mananakay, kapag pribado gaya ng SM, sila lang ang kikita ng malaki,” Mira added.
“Public transport plays a vital role in the resumption of our economy; government must begin to treat us as part of the solution, listen to our voices and be truly responsive to our needs, hindi yung turu-turuan kung sino ang haharap samin,” quips Mira.