Jeepneys allowed back on 49 routes in Metro Manila by July 3
TRADITIONAL JEEPNEYS can start plying Metro Manila streets again by Friday, July 3, after the transport regulator issued late Wednesday the new guidelines for operations. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board’s (LTFRB) Memorandum Circular 2020-026 lists 49 routes where licensed jeepneys can operate without getting a special permit. “In lieu of the Special Permit, a corresponding QR Code shall be issued to the operator prior to operation, which must be printed and displayed in the corresponding unit,” LTFRB said in a statement. The QR code can be downloaded from the agency’s site. LTFRB also stressed that operators “must provide PUJs (public utility jeepneys) that are currently registered roadworthy with the Land Transportation Office and with valid Personal Passenger Insurance Policy.” Health safety protocols such as distancing, provision of passenger contact forms, and wearing of face masks are also required. The existing fare rates of P9.00 for the first four kilometers and P1.50 for every succeeding kilometer will remain in effect. The routes are:
Camarin – Novaliches
Karuhatan – Ugong
Malabon – Monumento via Letre
Malabon (TP) – Navotas (TP)
Monumento – Navotas via Letre
Cubao – Proj. 4 via J.P. Rizal
Cubao – San Juan via N. Domingo
IBP Road – Lupang Pangako via Gravel Pit Road
Marikina – Pasig
Pantranco – Proj. 2 & 3 via Kamuning
Proj. 2 & 3 – Q Mart
Sucat-Highway – Bagumbayan
Ayala – Pateros via JP Rizal
A. Boni – A. Mabini via 10th Ave
A. Bonifacio – D Tuazon/E. Rodriguez Ave.
A. Rivera – Raon via Severino Reyes
Ayala – Mantrade via Pasong Tamo
Ayala – Washington
Balic-Balic – Quiapo via Lepanto
Balic-Balic – Bustillos via G. Tuazon
Balic-Balic – Espana/M. Dela Fuente
Balintawak – Frisco
Balut – Blumentritt
Blumentritt – North Harbor via Divisoria
Boni – Kalentong JRC via Boni Avenue
Dian – Libertad
Divisoria – Gastambide via Morayta
Divisoria – Pier North via Plaza Moriones
Divisoria – Quiapo via Evangelista
Evangelista – Libertad
Divisoria – Velasquez
Guadalupe Market – L. Guinto via Pasig Line
L. Guinto – Sta. Ana
Herbosa/Pritil – P. Guevarra via Tayuman
Kalentong/JRC – P. Victorino via P. Cruz
Divisoria – Sta. Cruz via San Nicolas
Kayamanan C – PRC via Pasong Tamo
L. Guinto – Zobel Roxas via Paco
Lardizabal – Rizal Ave. via M. Dela Fuente
Lealtad – Quiapo (Barbosa) via Lepanto
Kalentong/JRC – Libertad (Mandaluyong) Nueve de Pebrero
Kalentong/JRC – Namayan via Vergara
North Harbor – Quiapo via Evangelista
P. Faura – San Andres
Quezon Ave. – Sta. Mesa Market via Araneta Avenue
Crame – San Juan via Pinaglabanan
Alabang – Sucat via M.L. Quezon
Soldiers Hill (Phase IV) – Talon via Alvarez
EDSA BUSWAY
Meanwhile, the interim operations of the EDSA Busway, spanning from Monumento to the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, started on Wednesday. The busway system involves the use of designated bus stops located at the inner lane of EDSA, complementing the existing Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3). The Department of Transportation said 550 bus units were authorized for service. “Bus operators committed to initially deploy 150 bus units starting today. This is in addition to the buses deployed under the existing MRT-3 Bus Augmentation Program. No fare increase shall be implemented,” it said in a statement. — Arjay L. Balinbin
Bangsamoro gov’t warns MILF members on peace pact violation after clan dispute settlement
MEMBERS OF the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) who are part of families involved in a clan dispute have been warned against renewed violence after a peace pact was signed over the weekend. Executive Secretary Abdulraof Macacua of the Bangsamoro government, in a statement on Monday, said MILF members who will violate the treaty will be removed from the organization that now holds a leadership role in the new autonomous region. The clan dispute, referred to as rido, involved the Sindatok and Tundok families in the town of Datu Saudi Ampatuan in Maguindanao. The peace settlement was mediated by the Bangsamoro government, Maguindanao provincial government, Ad Hoc Joint Action Group, Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities, military, police, religious leaders, and other peace monitoring groups in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). “We are thankful for both parties for agreeing to settle their understanding. This also benefits the civilians who always are the victims of violence due to armed conflict,” said Mr. Macacua, also the chief of staff of MILF’s armed forces known as the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF). Under the normalization process that is part of the MILF’s peace deal with the national government, about 30% of the BIAF’s 40,000 members were targeted for decommissioning by March 2020.
CONFLICT MONITORING
Peacebuilding group International Alert Philippines, in its April-May 2020 report on critical events in the region released last week, noted intensified violence over land disputes amid the lockdown prompted by the coronavirus crisis. These conflicts included those involving families with MILF members. International Alert Country Manager Nikki de la Rosa, in a statement released with the report, said while these “flashpoints are tied to land issues,” links to “State apparatus” worsen the violence. “They have access to resources and have political connections, that is why they are able to engage in long-term violence,” she said. Ms. Dela Rosa said it is crucial for the BARMM government to address these ridos during the transition period until 2022. “The next 18 months will be critical in the Bangsamoro because it can motivate warring groups to arrive into a political settlement to end longstanding conflict or provoke more community-level violence magnified by the loss of livelihood on the one hand and a scramble for resources for the 2022 national elections on the other,” she said. — MSJ
