Iloilo province unveils own Transport Route Plan

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

The Iloilo provincial government on Friday laid down the full extent of its proposed Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP), which would involve connections between the 42 municipalities and Passi City, with stops at the boundaries of Iloilo City.

The proposed provincial LPTRP includes 60 bus and jeepney routes with inter-town travel as well as trips to Iloilo City terminals:

–       Tigbauan to Mohon Terminal, Arevalo district, Iloilo City;

–       Miagao to Mohon Terminal;

–       Tubungan to Mohon Terminal;

–       Igbaras to Mohon Terminal;

–       San Joaquin to Mohon Terminal;

–       Oton to Iloilo City;

–       Oton to Tagbak Terminal, Jaro district, Iloilo City;

–       Tigbauan to Leon;

–       San Miguel to Festive Walk Transport Hub, Iloilo City;

–       Alimodian to Festive Walk Transport Hub;

–       Leon to Festive Walk Transport Hub (jeepney);

–       Leon to Festive Walk Transport Hub (point-to-point);

–       Leon to Pavia Terminal via San Miguel;

–       Leon to Maasin via Alimodian;

–       New Lucena to Iloilo City via Santa Barbara;

–       Cabatuan to Iloilo City;

–       Badiangan to Iloilo City;

–       Vista Mall in Oton to Pavia Terminal;

–       Leganes to Iloilo City

–       Pavia to Iloilo City via Aquino Avenue;

–       Maasin to Pavia People’s Terminal;

–       Bingawan to Iloilo City via Calinog;

–       Janiuay to Iloilo City;

–       Lambunao to Iloilo City (point-to-point);

–       Lambunao to Iloilo City (jeepney);

–       Calinog to Pavia People’s Terminal (point-to-point);

–       Calinog to Iloilo City via Passi City;

–       Calinog to Iloilo City via Lambunao;

–       SM City Iloilo to Iloilo International Airport;

–       Iloilo Airport to Poblacion Santa Barbara;

–       Bga. Bante Zarraga to Iloilo City via Leganes;

–       Mina to Iloilo City via Pototan;

–       Pototan to Iloilo City;

–       Barotac Nuevo to Iloilo City;

–       Dingle to Iloilo City;

–       Dumangas to Tagbak Terminal via Zarraga and Leganes;

–       Lemery to Ticud Terminal, Iloilo City (point-to-point);

–       Dumangas to Ticud Terminal via Coastal Road (jeepney);

–       Dumangas to Ticud Terminal via Coastal Road (point-to-point);

–       San Rafael to Iloilo City via Barotac Viejo (point-to-point);

–       Janiuay to Calinog via Lambunao;

–       Janiuay to Dumangas via Mina, Pototan, and Barotac Nuevo;

–       Passi City to San Rafael;

–       Passi City to Calinog;

–       Barotac Viejo to Dumangas via Banate and Anilao;

–       Carles to Estancia via Balasan;

–       Lemery to Sara;

–       Sara to Concepcion;

–       Sara to Estancia;

–       Sara to San Dionisio;

–       Passi City to Ceres Terminal, Jaro district, Iloilo City;

–       Carles to Ceres Terminal via Balasan;

–       Barotac Viejo to Tagbak Terminal;

–       Balasan to Ceres Terminal;

–       Estancia to Ceres Terminal via Balasan;

–       Barotac Viejo to Ceres Terminal;

–       Lemery to Ceres Terminal via Barotac Viejo;

–       Lemery to Ceres Terminal via Passi City and San Rafael;

–       Concepcion to Ceres Terminal via Sara and San Dionisio;

–       San Dionisio to Ceres Terminal via Concepcion;

–       Sara to Ceres Terminal;

–       Estancia to Iloilo City (point-to-point);

–       Balasan to Iloilo City (point-to-point); and

–       Passi City to Tagbak Terminal.

The provincial LPTRP utilized results from its Origin and Destination Surveys (household interview, airport, seaport, and land transport surveys, and roadside interview), Boarding and Alighting Surveys, and Traffic or Vehicle Count Survey and Passenger Load Count.

The surveys covered 18,949 households, 1,289 roadside passengers, 2,271 land transport terminal passengers, 328 airport passengers, and 965 seaport passengers.

The plan identified 9 new and developmental routes, which are based on “growth areas” of the province and where economic activity is expected to spur within the next 15 years:

–       Oton – Santa Barbara – Leganes;

–       Oton to Iloilo International Airport;

–       Oton – Santa Barbara – Dumangas Port;

–       Tubungan to Mohon Terminal via Leon;

–       Passi City to Dumangas Port via San Enrique, Anilao, and Barotac Viejo;

–       Tubungan – Igbaras – Miagao;

–       Pavia to Ungka Terminal via C1 Road;

–       San Miguel to Cabatuan; and

–       Barotac Viejo to Lemery.

Mary Rose Matucan, Project Development Officer of the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO), said that the provincial LPTRP aims to address the overlap, especially with routes travelling to Iloilo City.

The current Santa Barbara to Iloilo City routes would be merged with the proposed New Lucena to Iloilo City routes.

As to other overlapping routes in the proposed LPTRP, she said that other routes with smaller demand will have smaller fleets, particularly in the southern parts of the province.

“Many franchise routes ply one road. For example, there are routes from Cabatuan to Ungka (Iloilo City side) and another from Ungka to Iloilo City Terminal Market. They overlap because they are servicing the same passenger demand,” said Matucan.

The PPDO data indicated that Iloilo province has 3,195 local public transport units serving 183 routes, including 27 regular Fil Cabs (6 routes), 164 public utility buses (25 routes), 2,700 public utility jeepneys (118 routes), 267 utility vans (18 routes), and 37 utility mini buses (16 routes).

As to routes from other provinces, landing either in the city or province of Iloilo, 499 units are serving 73 routes, including 361 public utility buses (43 routes), 1 public utility jeepney (1 route), 129 utility vans (21 routes), and 8 utility mini buses (8 routes).

Matucan added that they will be allowed to apply for special permits with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) should fleet capacity be smaller than the transport demand, adding that they will be anticipating this when students return to face-to-face class setups.

The current LPTRP proposal is the provincial government’s second draft according to PPDO chief Mario Nillos, after the Department of Transportation returned its first draft with review and comments.