CITY OF SAN JOSE DEL MONTE, BULACAN-MADARAGDAGAN ang mga bumibiyaheng bus na nagkakaloob ng “libreng sakay” sa ilang mahalagang ruta sa Kamaynilaan.
Ito ang ibinahagi ni DOTr Secretary Art Tugade sa ginanap na road safety seminar ng LTO (Land Transportation Office) Region 3 na ginanap sa lungsod na ito nitong June 14 2021.
Malaking bagay sa mga manggagawa ang makalibre ng pasahe patngo sa kanilang lugar na pinagtatrabahuhan at pabalik sa kani-kanilang mga tahanan at sa gitna ng pandemya maraming kapos sap era at makadaragdag pa sa suliranin ang pamasahe.
Bukod sa mga idadagdag na mga bus sa EDSA carousel, may mga ilang ruta rin ang pagkakalooban ng libreng sakay gamit ang bus o mga e-jeepney. Ito ay maituturing na magandang balita sa mga taong nakikita ang mga pagpupunyagi ng pamahalaan na tulungan ang taumbayan sa gitna ng pandemya.
Sa kabila nito ay may mga tao naman na tila wala ng ginawang mabuti ang gobyerno para sa kanila sapagkat sa kabila ng mga libreng sakay na naglipana sa Kamaynilaan at kalapit lalawigan parang kahalintulad ng mga walang kabusugang grabe kung makapag demand halos awayin ang mga tsuper.
Matatagpuan ang ugali ng mga ganitong mananakay sa ruta ng Monumento-Taft Rotonda at Monumento-PITX pasalamat na rin ang ilang mabubuting commuters sa mga pasensyosong tsuper.///Michael balaguer, 09262261791, michaelbalaguer@yahoo.co.uk, konekted@diaryongtagalog.net
-30-
27 May 2021
ON THE VALIDITY OF THE GOVERNMENT’S MOTOR VEHICLE INSPECTION CENTER PROGRAM
We, the members of the Vehicle Inspection Centers Operators Association of the Philippines (VICOAP), strongly believe that the Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Center (PMVIC) Program of the Duterte Administration is valid, legitimate and a proactive initiative to ensure road safety, and significantly reduce the number of road crashes.
The plan to establish motor vehicle inspection centers is not new. It has been on the government’s drawing board for almost 40 years.
In 1983, the Department of Transportation (DOTr formerly DOTC) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO), together with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), conducted the study on the establishment of motor vehicle inspection centers all over the country. The initial MVIC was put up at the LTO East Avenue in Quezon City in 1985 to inspect taxis in Metro Manila. In 1992, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) donated motor vehicle inspection system equipment for LTO East Avenue, Pasay, San Fernando, Pampanga, and Lipa City, Batangas.
When the Philippine Clean Air Act or Republic Act No. 8749 was passed, it mandated the DOTr and the LTO to conduct vehicle emission tests using the Motor Vehicle Inspection Station (MVIS) or its duly authorized and accredited inspection centers. However, because the MVIS Program was not sustained, in 2001, Private Emission Testing Centers (PETCs) were accredited as serve as a stop-gap measure.
In 2007, the DOTr-LTO started to upgrade/rehabilitate the existing MVICs and provide each LTO regional office nationwide with at least 3 lanes. However, only the first 2 of the 3 phases of the program were implemented.
Over the years, the government was not able to maintain and recalibrate the equipment due to limited resources as well as the absence of technological know-how. With time, the LTO motor vehicle inspection facilities and equipment deteriorated which rendered these unserviceable and obsolete. Thus, the LTO started to conduct manual/visual inspections.
Various administrations had seen the merits of getting the private sector’s assistance to address the lack of a reliable and valid motor vehicle inspection system.
It was only in August 2018, when the current administration, through the initiative of DOTr Secretary Arthur P. Tugade and LTO Assistant Secretary Edgar C. Galvante, invited the private sector to participate in providing roadworthiness inspection services through authorization. This will complement the existing LTO MVICs, with the authority to determine the roadworthiness of the vehicle still under the purview of the LTO.
With the country still reeling from the impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), government, again, needs to allocate all its resources and effort to more pressing development programs and projects to facilitate our nation’s recovery.
Thus, tapping the private sector to provide the motor vehicle inspection service is a valid and logical move for the government since it has the funds and the capability to provide reliable, technology-based, and corruption-free services to ensure road safety and prevent the loss of life and property along the nation’s roads.
###
MAY 27, 2021
“HISTORIC” PNR CLARK PHASE 1 PROJECT ON TRACK— TUGADE
After years of trying to start construction since its conceptualization in 1993, the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Clark Phase 1 Project is now on track and “all moving forward,” said Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Art Tugade on Wednesday, 26 May 2021.
The PNR Clark Phase 1 Project, which Sec. Tugade describes as “historic,” is currently at 45.82% overall progress rate and will be completed in the second quarter of 2024.
“This is very historical dahil apat na beses na sinubukan ang paggawa nitong proyektong ito simula 1993, at ngayon ang kauna-unahan na mayroon tayong konstruksyon,” Tugade explained during the PNR Clark Phase 1 Project site inspection.
Tugade pointed out that previous administrations made attempts to start the project but have failed to deliver on its construction.
“Parating ground breaking ang usapan, walang konstruksyon. Ngayon ‘ho may konstruksyon at parating na ang mga tren,” he said.
Funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project (Malolos-Tutuban), also known as the PNR North 1 Project, is a 38-kilometer railway that will connect Tutuban Station in Manila to Malolos in Bulacan. The project was signed in November 2015.
PNR North 1 has 10 stations, which will cut across the cities of Manila, Caloocan, Valenzuela and the municipalities of Meycuayan, Marilao, Bocaue, Balagtas, Guiguinto and Malolos in Bulacan. Once completed, the project is expected to serve 300,000 passengers daily and will reduce travel time from Malolos, Bulacan to Tutuban from an hour and 30 minutes to 35 minutes.
Tugade said he personally inspected the site to prove that the project is continuing and is moving forward. As proof, the transportation chief said the project’s training simulator will be arriving between September and October, while the trains will arrive in December.
“Siguro tinatanong n’yo kung bakit ako nag-iinspeksyon kahit alam naming may COVID. Ito ay upang maipakita namin sa inyo na ang proyektong ito ay tuloy na tuloy na,” said Sec. Tugade.
He added: “Yung mga tren na gagamitin sa proyektong ito ay darating na sa December. Mayroon tayong lugar na tinatayo ng DOTr na paglalagyan ng simulator. Ito ang gagamitin para sa training ng mga taong magpapatakbo at gagabay sa proyektong ito. Handa na hong dumating ang mga simulator ng September o October.”
At least 7,500 workers were employed during the construction of the project, while 2,000 additional jobs will be made available once the project becomes operational, according to Sec. Tugade.
“Layunin din ng proyektong ito na makapagbigay ng kabuhayan sa ating mga kababayan. Sa katunayan, mahigit kumulang 7,500 na katao ang tinatayang mabibigyan ng trabaho habang itinatayo ang proyekto. Dagdag 2,000 na trabaho naman ang inaasahan pang magbubukas oras na maging operational na ito,” Tugade said.
He added that at least 200 former overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are currently employed in the project, while more jobs will be opened prioritizing more OFWs, and displaced Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) drivers and conductors.
“Nakita n’yo mga tao dito kanina? Sila ay mga Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW). Kulang-kulang 200 silang nagta-trabaho dito. Ang sabi ko sa mga contractor, paramihin n’yo pa. Kung mayroon kayong kapitbahay, kamag-anak, mahal sa buhay, kaibigan na gustong maghanapbuhay, papuntahin n’yo dito. Kung qualified, tutulungan natin. Para nang sa gayon ‘yung 200 ay madagdagan pa,” Sec. Tugade said referring to employees who were present during his inspection.
“Kung may mga kakilala kayong mga kunduktor, mga jeepney driver na gustong maghanapbuhay, kung qualified eh pumunta dito at bibigyan natin sila ng pagkakataon.”
Joining Tugade in the site inspection were Bulacan 4th District Representative Henry Villarica, Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian, Philippine National Railways General Manager Junn Magno, DOTr Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan, DOTr Chief of Staff and Assistant Secretary for Procurement and Project Implementation Giovanni Lopez, Assistant Secretary for Railways Fidel Cruz, and representatives from Taisei – DMCI Joint Venture, and NSTren Consortium.
###