DRIVERS and operators who will undergo Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) training will be given priority during the hiring of bus drivers for the High Priority Bus System (HPBS).
HPBS social development program incharge Norman Baloro said this is in line with the city government’s pledge of prioritizing public utility jeepney (PUJ) operators and operators in the hiring of bus drivers for the HPBS, which will commence within the first half of the year.
This is apart from the social pension packages the city government will be giving out to 6,985 PUJ operators accredited by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and 12,264 PUJ drivers accredited by the City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO).
Baloro said the city government will be requesting Tesda Central Office to offer National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3) passenger bus training courses in Davao City, one of the social pension benefits the city will offer affected PUJ drivers and operators.
"We will be requesting an NC3 bus driving courses wherein we will be giving opportunity for our bus drivers to enroll so they will be our priority in terms of application, hiring of our bus drivers," he said on Thursday, January 16, during the iSpeak media forum at the City Hall of Davao.
He also said the specialized 20-day Tesda course training for PUJ drivers and operators has not yet been offered in the region.
Baloro reiterated Davao City Assistant Administrator Tristan Dwight Domingo's previous statement that the training is a requirement as they seek to professionalize the workforce of the bus operators who are expected to operate an estimated 1,000 buses, which will serve 29 routes.
Baloro said HPBS, a transport modernization project of the city government which would phase out PUJs to high-end city buses, will not "totally displace" them as it would even hire around 10,000 jobs once it will be fully implemented.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, in a previous report, urged PUJ drivers and operators to avail themselves of social pensions the local government has prepared.
Duterte-Carpio secured P650-million social pension budget from the 17th Congress, which will serve as a social compensation to them once the HPBS will commence. This is on top of the P100 million allocated by the 19th City Council in 2019 under the Supplemental Budget 1.
She said the city government has already set a series of consulation dialogues to affected drivers and operators.
The first orientation was held on January 14 for Toril drivers and operators. The rest of the schedule: January 21 - Calinan, January 24 - Bunawan and January 30 – Poblacion.
Baloro, however, said those who missed out in the scheduled consultation can still join in the following set of consultations.
"The most important thing is their attendance in the consultation dialogue," he said.
Among the topics that will be discussed in the dialogue is the process of availing the social pension.
Baloro also reiterated the mayor's plan of "totally-phasing out" PUJs and replace them with buses, as a measure to address the city's worsening traffic situation.
Meanwhile, the initial phase of HPBS will operate under the Davao Integrated Bus System (Dibs), covering Catalunan Grande, Toril, and Carlos P. Garcia National Highway (Diversion Road) routes.