Iloilo City councilor calls out modern jeepney overloading

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Iloilo City Councilor Sedfrey Cabaluna urged transport cooperatives and corporations to discipline their members to curb overloading and ensure safe, reliable public transportation.

Cabaluna, chair of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Transportation, made the statement after social media posts alleged overloading on modernized jeepneys operated by transport cooperatives.

Some posts claimed drivers or passenger assistant officers told complaining passengers to transfer to other vehicles instead of addressing concerns about excess passengers.

In a Feb. 12 interview, Cabaluna said operators must take responsibility for enforcing compliance within their ranks.

“The problem is that it seems that we need to look after everyone, but what is important is that they (transport cooperatives) should police their ranks. If people begin to perceive that our cooperatives cannot deliver safe and convenient transportation, they will lose passengers,” he said.

He said cooperatives are responsible for delivering quality service and that profitability will follow if the public sees improvements.

Under the city’s enhanced Local Public Transport Route Plan, a maximum of 10 passengers are allowed to stand inside a unit at any given time.

Cabaluna said the route plan and the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program need to be strengthened, but he said overloading cannot be tolerated.

He said some cooperatives are operating at a loss based on their financing and accounting records, which he said partly explains why some resort to carrying excess passengers.

“They should not be excused, but we have seen in their financing and accounting that their operations are at a loss, and that is the reason why overloading happens,” he added.

Cabaluna said that in October last year, seven of the 14 cooperatives operating in Iloilo City were sinking deeper into debt, with half struggling with overdue bank loans.

“There are long-term plans we are finalizing to make it easier for cooperatives to operate, but nevertheless, there is no excuse. Even if there are accounting problems, you should abide by the law,” Cabaluna said.

He said the concerns have been raised with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, which he said should strictly enforce regulations against overloading.

Cabaluna said the Traffic and Transportation Management Office may apprehend units operating beyond their registered seating capacity under Regulation Ordinance 2008-393.

The ordinance prohibits motor vehicles on roads or streets from “allowing passengers on board in excess of the registered seating capacity,” and violations carry a PHP 300 penalty.

He said the Local Public Transport Route Plan is not a law but a route plan outlining authorized routes and the number of units allowed to operate on each route.

“The laws that govern violations of traffic rules and regulations are our local ordinances. The LPTRP cannot impose penalties because it is a route plan. If there is overloading, our local ordinances will apply,” he said.

Modernized jeepneys are part of the government’s public transport modernization effort, and local officials have said enforcement of safety rules remains central as routes shift to cooperative-led operations.