Iloilo City proposes legalizing ‘barkers’ as public transport dispatchers

THE ILOILO City government is proposing to train “barkers” and accredit them as authorized dispatchers of transport organizations. The city’s Anti-Barker Ordinance, under Regulation Ordinance 2014-94, defines a barkers as a person “who calls for, facilitates, induces or convinces commuters to board a particular preferred public utility vehicle (PUV)…for the purpose of extracting an amount from the driver.” The Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO) is implementing the ordinance, and those apprehended are jailed for a minimum of three months to a maximum of six months. PSTMO head Jeck Conlu said with the proposal, which is still subject to public consultation, barkers will be given training on how to facilitate the parking and loading of passengers, and the send-off of the PUV. “The accreditation will come on the later part. While we are doing the apprehension, we do the consultative meeting,” he said. The accredited dispatchers will be designated at loading and unloading areas, particularly in congested areas. Iloilo City Mayor Jose S. Espinosa III said he wants a holistic study to eradicate the barkers. “We will take it into consideration and have the study on how to go about this. Because it might not solve the problem but might only aggregate the situation,” he said. — Louine Hope U. Conserva