Twenty-nine bus companies petitioned the Quezon City Regional Trial Court to grant them a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) that will prevent the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) from cancelling the bus franchises they use in their nationwide operations, particularly in Metro Manila.
In the Complaint for Injunction with Verified Ex-Parte application for a 72-hour TRO, Verified Applications for a 20-day TRO and Writ of Preliminary Injunction filed by 29 bus firms, 18 of which are operating in Metro Manila, the petitioners argue that the LTFRB’s decision to cancel bus franchises will result in the death of the local bus industry.
According to Atty. Joseph de Jesus, legal counsel of the complainants, LTFRB’s plan did not undergo proper public notice, hearing and public consultation, and will ultimately result in the termination of existing valid franchises of bus companies that were granted by the agency last June.
According to him, the measure will bring undue suffering to commuters that are relying on public utility buses to get to their destination, especially passengers who commute to work during the general community quarantine.
“While my clients support the vision of our President Rodrigo Duterte for the modernization of our transport system, this plan should involve stakeholders especially bus companies which have been helping the government for decades now in fulfilling the needs of 14 million Filipino commuters” says Atty. de Jesus.
“Such a major plan should not have been issued without public consultation and hearing, especially at the height of a pandemic. Bus firms are not the only ones whose fates are at stake here. An entire economic ecosystem composed of no less than two million Filipino families would lose their sources of income once bus operations stop, not to mention the working commuters who would suddenly find themselves looking for other means to get to their work and homes,” adds Atty. De Jesus.
The complaint also said that the planned cancellation is untimely given that we need to bounce back from the devastating effects of the pandemic in the life, livelihood and economy of the country.
“As the nation’s economy recovers from the two-and-a-half-month quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all bus firms sustained multi-billion peso financial damages during the lockdown as government suspended bus operations throughout the country. These assailed orders would result to millions of job losses and bankruptcies of supporting businesses affecting the economy,” explains de Jesus.
The legal counsel also said that the transport sector is among the pillars of economic recovery for the country, thus the industry needs to be supported for the sake of the common folk that are reliant on passenger buses.
“Without bus operations, it would be extremely difficult for people and goods to move at its previous pace before the pandemic. It would surely impact on the economy of the National Capital Region (NCR) which accounts for 76 percent of the total economy of the country,” says Atty. De Jesus.
He concludes that the bus sector is a great contributor in transformation, in support of the Republic Act No. 11469, more popularly known as the Bayanihan To Heal As One Act signed by President Rodrigo Duterte. – Angie dela Cruz
