A LOCAL transport group leader felt insulted after Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)-Western Visayas director Richard Osmeña failed to show up in the Negros Island-Wide Transport and Media Forum held at the Bacolod Arts, Youth, and Sports (Bays) Center in the city on Thursday, August 16.
Diego Malacad, secretary-general of the United Negros Drivers and Operators Center (Undoc), said Osmeña snubbed the driver’s forum, which was supposedly a proper venue to discuss some issues on memorandum circulars implemented by the government without due consultations from the public including the modernization program of the government, and the delayed issuance of the new fare matrix in the region, among others.
“We prepared data to present to him but he did not show up,” Malacad said, adding that Osmeña did not even send them messages, informing them that he could not make it.
“He is blind, deaf, and useless because he cannot even face us to hear out our concerns,” Malacad said.
“How can we know our direction if they cannot even make us understand?” he asked.
Malacad also said that LTFRB-Western Visayas is a “useless” government agency because it does not even have a lawyer or spokesperson who will deal with the transport groups.
“They could have just sent a janitor or anybody from their office if the regional director cannot really make it to the forum,” he added.
Malacad maintained that Osmeña failed to deliver his duty and services to the transport sector.
He said only the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)–Bacolod sent Local Government Operations Officer 3 Lancer Philip Bauno to represent their office.
Engineer Mar Valbuena of Samahan ng mga Malls Integrated Transport Terminal Federation was also present during the forum.
However, despite the presence of the DILG representative, drivers still failed to raise more concerns because the agency can only discuss their department orders in relation to the accountability of the local government units, Malacad said.
The DILG cannot intervene on the issues raised by the transport sector, he added.
After this, Malacad said he is planning to go to Panay area and visit five provinces to push for the ouster of Osmeña.
He said they will report Osmeña to President Rodrigo Duterte through the national hotline 8888.
They will also finish their signature campaign to assess the proper time to hold massive transport strike this month.
About 200 drivers from Negros Island attended the forum.
For his part, Bauno said he was just told to represent the DILG and listen to the concerns of the transport groups.
He refused to comment on the issues raised by the members in the forum.
“I will just relay to the higher office whatever sentiments they have,” Bauno said.