Cabaluna calls for review of Iloilo City’s transport route plan

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The enhanced Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) of Iloilo City is due for review three years after its implementation to address persistent overloading and worsening traffic, according to Councilor Sedfrey Cabaluna.

Iloilo City was the first local government unit in the country to fully implement its enhanced LPTRP, a key requirement under the national Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, which aims to replace aging jeepneys with modern, environment-friendly units and rationalize routes.

The current iteration, launched in May 2024, covers 17 rationalized routes and eight new developmental routes.

Cabaluna, chairman of the City Council’s Committee on Transportation, said a review is necessary given continuing challenges in the modernization program’s rollout.

“Being the end-user, the city of Iloilo deserves what was committed under the franchise. Our assistance in other matters can help, but the main responsibility lies with those who signed and were granted the franchise,” he said.

“It (LPTRP) is already due for review since it has been three years already,” he added.

Cabaluna said discussions with transport agencies revealed gaps in the current scheme, particularly the assumption that cooperatives could repay their loans once they were granted franchises and assigned routes.

He said overloading of modernized buses may also be linked to the boundary system, commission-based operations and the daily profit targets imposed on drivers and operators.

On Feb. 10, representatives of the World Bank and the Department of Transportation met with Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu to discuss the Area-Focused Urban Public Transport Modernization Program.

Iloilo City is among the identified highly urbanized cities for the pilot program design, which aims to improve commuter experience, develop fit-for-purpose routes based on origin-destination patterns and expand coverage in neighborhoods to address last-mile connectivity gaps.

“We will carefully review this because our goal is a better, sustainable, and more accessible public transport system for all Ilonggos,” Treñas-Chu said.

Cabaluna said the area-focused program should address the assumption that cooperatives can bridge financing gaps to ensure they have the capacity to pay loans on time and procure units.

“If they can address whether the cooperatives can meet their financial obligations and capacity to operate their units, then it will go a long way in addressing our traffic concerns,” he said.