Sen. Joel "TESDAMAN" Villanueva's on restricting the operations of provincial buses in Metro Manila roads only between 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM

Nananawagan po tayo sa DOTr, LTFRB, at MMDA na i-reconsider ang pag-implement ng bagong schedule para sa provincial buses na gagawing mula 10:00 ng gabi hanggang 5:00 ng umaga.

Dapat po nating alalahanin ang kapakanan ng mga commuter at mga provincial bus operators and drivers sa implementasyon ng bagong provincial bus scheme.

Bigyan po natin ng mga maayos at abot-kayang alternatibo ang mga provincial commuters para makabiyahe habang business hours sa Metro Manila.

Karampatang panahon din po ang kailangan ng commuters bago i-implement ang bagong scheme para makapag-adjust sila sa bagong schedule ng provincial busses.

Bilang tubong Bulacan, ramdam po natin ang magiging pahirap nito para sa ordinaryong taga-probinsya na madalas bumibiyahe patungong Metro Manila.

Sana po ay napag-aralang mabuti ng ating mga ahensya ang epekto ng desisyong ito sa mga commuter na nakasalalay ang kanilang kabuhayan sa araw-araw na biyahe ng provincial buses.

Nakasalalay rin po dito ang kita ng mga provincial bus operators at mga drivers nito, dahil nakabase sa dami ng kanilang mga pasahero ang kanilang kita.

Alalahanin po natin na bumabangon pa lang po tayo mula sa mga pandemic lockdown, at maraming kabuhayan ang nakasalalay sa provincial bus routes. Nakataya po sa desisyong ito ang mga ekonomiya ng Metro Manila at mga karatig probinsya.

Gaya po ng ating panawagan noon sa MMDA na pag-aralang mabuti ang economic impact ng panukalang panibagong number coding scheme, isipin po natin kung para saan pa ang maluwag na trapiko kung wala namang masakyan ang mga tao.#

[English]

We call on the DOTr, LTFRB, and MMDA to reconsider its decision to implement the new provincial bus schedule, giving them the window time between 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM.

The government should consider the welfare of our commuters, as well as the provincial bus operators and drivers in the implementation of this new scheme.

Let's give our commuters decent and affordable alternatives for them to travel in Metro Manila within business hours.

Ample time should be given to commuters before implementing the new scheme so they can adjust to the new schedule.

Being born and raised in Bulacan, we feel the hardship that this new schedule will give to ordinary people from the provinces who regularly travel to Metro Manila.

We hope that the agencies have thoroughly studied by our agencies for its effect on our commuters whose livelihoods rely on the daily commute on provincial buses.

The source of income of our provincial bus operators and drivers are affected by this decision, because their earnings depend on the number of the passengers they can serve.

Let's be reminded that we are still recovering from the pandemic lockdowns, and that a lot of livelihoods are dependent on the provincial bus routes. The economies of Metro Manila and neighboring provinces also depend on this decision.

Similar to our previous call for the MMDA to further study the economic impact of its proposals for a revised number coding scheme, let's ask ourselves what is the use of lighter vehicular traffic if there is no transportation available for our commuters. #