By John Noel E. Herrera
Iloilo City’s Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) has been approved by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), according to Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas.
Treñas added that they are just waiting for the formal turnover of the LPTRP before the city could implement it.
“I am very happy that the LPTRP of Iloilo City has finally been approved. Once it is officially released to the city, we will immediately implement the same,” Treñas said.
Iloilo City Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO) head Jeck Conlu went to Manila late last year to present the amendments in the route plan which was received “favorably by the board”, according to Treñas.
Conlu also explained in Manila the gaps and problems during the initial implementation of LPTRP, and what happened during the two-month consultation.
He added back then that the amended LPTRP will be called “Enhanced LPTRP” and not “modified” when approved, as it can only be modified “after two or three years based on the guidelines.”
From the proposed 24 routes, the enhanced LPTRP will have 25 routes after reinstating the “Baluarte Derecho” route that was scrapped in the first LPTRP, according to Conlu.
He also previously explained that when the enhanced LPTRP is approved, public utility vehicles from suburb towns of Oton, Leganes, and Pavia can still go inside the city provided that their franchise is still valid.
Meanwhile, Treñas stressed that the approved route plan will enhance the transportation system in the city when implemented.
“It is planned that the LPTRP will make transportation more readily available to everyone,” Treñas said.
The route plan was first implemented on June 12, 2022 through City Regulation No. 2022-027, which was approved by Treñas on January 28, 2022.
Since then, it was extended four times due to different reasons, including “the still existing COVID-19 pandemic which requires observance to health and safety protocols, the increasing prices of commodities, the inflation experienced by both national and local economies, the public clamor of the community, and the increase of commuters due to the resumption of face-to-face classes.”
