MMDA chair cites Palace mandate in bus scheme row

After weeks under attack for the central bus terminal project, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chair Francis Tolentino on Wednesday said bus operators opposing the scheme might as well bring their complaints to Malacañang.

“They should be contesting the entire state apparatus and not just the MMDA. It’s not a case of them versus the MMDA but against the Office of the President and the entire Cabinet. This is a collegial decision,” Tolentino said.

He was referring to the continuing opposition to the operation of the Southwest Integrated Provincial Terminal (SWIPT) in Parañaque City, which opened Aug. 6 as the first of three bus depots ordered constructed by the Palace to limit provincial buses to the outskirts of the capital.

In his recent State of the Nation Address (Sona), President Benigno Aquino III cited the importance of these terminals to decongest major roads in the capital, particularly Edsa.

On July 26, Mr. Aquino signed Administrative Order No. 40, which ordered the setup of interim transport terminals for provincial buses and commuter Asian utility vehicles (AUV) entering Metro Manila.

The construction of these temporary terminals was in preparation for the full implementation of the Integrated Transport System project contained in Executive Order No. 67, which the President issued on Feb. 21, 2012.

“This has been carefully studied and is part of the government’s public investment program. The operations of these three hubs are nonnegotiable,” Tolentino stressed in an interview.

The MMDA chief was reacting to reports that bus groups opposed to the very idea of having a central terminal were prepared to engage in sabotage. One strategy, he said, was through the “bus strike” staged Tuesday morning which left thousands of Cavite-bound commuters stranded at SWIPT.

Bus operators operating on the Cavite-Manila route denied calling for a bus strike.

“If you don’t want this policy, why not change your line of business? There will be other people who would want to have the franchise you are eager to abandon,” Tolentino said.