Tuesday, November 27, 2007 More van-for-hire drivers seek CPC conversion By Rimaliza Opiña
A GROUP of van-for-hire (VHF) drivers who was not included in a City Council resolution recommending the conversion of franchises into garage-to-terminal express appealed for inclusion in the proposal.
These groups of drivers belonging to the Baguio-Pozorrubio-Dagupan Aircon Transport Association (BPDATA), Baguio-Carmen-Bayambang Transport Association Incorporated (BACBTAI), Tadian-Baguio-Bontoc Van Operators and Drivers Association (TABBOVDA), Kankanaey-Kalanguya-Ilocano-Ibaloi Van Association (KAKAIVA), Millennium Transport Association and van operators who do not belong to any organization said they too have the same concerns with the group that earlier petitioned the council to have their franchises converted.
The group said the council endorsement for franchise conversion should be opened to all vans-for-hire (VFH) associations.
The petition, which was later on converted into a proposed resolution, was referred to the ad hoc committee tasked to study petitions for the grant and conversion of franchises.
In a public hearing attended by members of the ad hoc team last Tuesday, the Cordillera Van Federation Association Incorporated and its members asked that if the council decides to endorse their petition, their groups should be prioritized.
But Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda, committee member, said the proposal has to be carefully studied and the route measure capacity (RMC) has to be validated.
How a committee report was used to obtain a franchise and the allocation of off-street terminals also had to be looked into, Tabanda later told reporters.
After it was learned during the public hearing that some associations have converted public streets into their terminals, Tabanda stressed VFH operators have to utilize off-street parking only.
To be included in the ad hoc team's priority would be determining who assisted the operators in identifying their terminals, and who advised them to file their CPCs using only a recommendation from the committee on public utilities, transportation, and traffic legislation and how many can be endorsed for conversion.
"We need to know if there is a liability by a member of the council," Tabanda said.
Another member of the committee, Councilor Fred Bagbagen, asked one of the petitioners if they paid for any consideration for them to be granted their CPCs but none admitted that such transactions took place.
Pending before the council is a petition by the Cordillera Van Federation Association Incorporated and its member associations: the Allied Transport, Baguio-Lepanto-Mankayan Van operators-drivers Association, Baguio City Mountaineers Transport Association, Baguio-Tayug Commuters Association Incorporated, Henry Transport, Gold Town Transport, Mankayan Van Transport Operators Drivers Garage, Pines Garage Association Incorporated, Clamp, Baguio-Urdaneta-Carmen-Cabanatuan Transport Incorporated, Abatan-La Trinidad Van Operators-Drivers Association for the endorsement to convert their franchises to GT express service.
As a condition, the proposal stated that applicants for the program must first apply for a business permit, identify an off-street parking site and conversion would be limited to existing routes only.
