More dissent: PUV drivers complain about flyover closure

CLOSED… FINALLY After a weeklong postponement upon the request of the city government and residents, the Tandang Sora flyover is finally closed to traffic.

Drivers of public utility vehicles (PUVs) plying Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City said on Monday that their operations had been disrupted by the closure of the Tandang Sora flyover and intersection with no clear solutions in sight.

Jeepney and tricycle drivers told the Inquirer that in order to clear the road, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) ejected them from their assigned terminals, which they had occupied for decades, with no advance warning.

As a result, commuters had to endure longer walks in the searing heat to secure a ride, according to the PUV drivers who also faced stiff penalties if they remained at their old stations despite no viable alternative being presented by the MMDA.

New location

Their previous terminals, which the MMDA said they could use only during off-peak hours, were located around 100 meters away from the intersection. They have since been asked to move to a new area around 300 m away.

The closure of the flyover and intersection is to give way to the construction of a Metro Rail Transit 7 station in the area. Work on the structure is expected to take two years.

Allan Hipolito, chair of the board for Batasmajoda, the jeepney drivers’ association in Tandang Sora, said that neither he nor the tricycle drivers’ group, Culiat Toda, were consulted by the MMDA or local government on the matter.

“It shouldn’t have been just the MMDA and mayor’s office meeting with one another,” Hipolito said.

Culiat Toda official Arthur Fortadilla said that despite holding the necessary permits from the city government to operate a terminal in the area, the group agreed to the MMDA’s 11th-hour request that they move to the spot in front of New Era General Hospital during rush hour.

Although they could return to their old terminals during nonpeak hours, there were barely any passengers left by then, said tricycle driver Basilio Torres, 52.

“Those needing a ride have to walk a long way, which is especially hard for elder passengers, those with children, or commuters who are carrying heavy things,” Torres added.

If the current setup would be retained until the reopening of the intersection, Hipolito said they were concerned about its possible effects on commuters as well as their groups during the rainy season.

There are 200 tricycles and jeepneys—and about 600 drivers—that ply the Tandang Sora area.

Sought for comment, the MMDA advised jeepney drivers and commuters to observe proper loading and unloading bays on Commonwealth Avenue to avoid tangling up traffic.

In an interview, MMDA Metrobase commander Bong Nebrija said most of the complaints following the closure were about the refusal of PUV drivers to drop off their passengers in designated areas.

“We understand that [the intersection] is where the bulk of commuters are… but we cannot allow [them to wait for passengers there] anymore because that would snarl traffic,” he added.

MMDA not sleeping on job

Nebrija also refuted the claim of displaced jeepney and tricycle drivers that they were not properly informed about the intersection’s closure on Saturday.

“It’s unfair to be told the MMDA did not do its job. We didn’t shortchange the public,” he said.

According to Nebrija, some jeepney drivers who park near Tierra Pura did not have a permit to operate a terminal in the area. —WITH A REPORT FROM KRIXIA SUBINGSUBING