Monday, October 08, 2007 Inter-regional public vehicles banned from Kennon By Jane Cadalig
TRANSPORTATION Regional Director Federico Mandapat Jr. stood pat on his earlier order banning public utility vehicles (PUVs) coming from other regions from traversing Kennon Road.
Mandapat is sticking to his order, saying this was made in consideration of the riding public's safety, which he said is one of the mandates of his office.
He said his office has received President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Administrative Order (AO) 184 last September 27, designating the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) as the sole agency to determine road safety. Kennon was closed to inter-regional PUVs last September 1.
Earlier, Benguet Governor Nestor Fongwan asked Mandapat to explain the closure of Kennon, citing the complaints received by the governor's office from commuters.
Public Works Regional Director Mariano Alquiza also asked the DOTC official to recall his memorandum order, saying the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is the proper agency that could give traffic advisories regarding Kennon's condition.
Mandapat, in his letter-reply to Fongwan last month, explained that his main concern for re-routing public utility vehicles traversing Kennon was the massive landslides along the road, which posed hazards to commuters.
DOTC Memorandum Circular (MC) 2007-001 ordered PUVs from other regions to take Palispis-Aspiras Highway (formerly Marcos Highway) instead of Kennon Road.
Mandapat said commuters along Kennon are not adversely affected by his order since PUVs from the lowlands are prohibited from loading passengers starting from Camp 1.
"As a matter of policy, (inter-regional) vans (traversing) Kennon Road are not supposed to load passengers along the way because the franchises given them is (based) on point-to-point operation," Mandapat's letter stated.
