Mar can make a mark

As usual, many bus companies are trying to wriggle away from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) order to pay fixed salary rates and provide additional benefits to bus drivers. Out of the 158 registered bus companies, only 50 have complied with the “two-tier” compensation scheme that allocates regular salaries plus performance bonuses to drivers who will not get involved in traffic accidents.

A spokesperson for a group of bus operators said they could not implement provisions of Department Order 118-12 “overnight” and would need more leeway for compliance and implementation. Overnight? The DO was issued early this January and the guidelines published in February – so how can they claim being pressed for time? Besides, if the other operators are able to comply on time, why can’t they? The order has been discussed, debated and negotiated for so long, which is why these other bus companies and operators should have been ready to implement the changes the minute they took effect last July 1.

Obviously, these people are more concerned with the bottom line because they will now have to pay drivers (and conductors) income not lower than the applicable minimum wage, plus the fact that fixed salary rates will make it easier for the BIR to scrutinize their books. At any rate, they have until the end of the month to comply with the order with DOLE firmly saying no exemptions will be issued since the order is based on existing labor standards and laws. If these companies and operators still don’t put up with the directive by July 31, their franchises should be revoked and the book thrown at them for violating labor standards and practices.

Let’s face it, one of the reasons why bus drivers act like road psychos is because they have to race against each other to get more passengers since they are paid on commission basis – meaning the more passengers, the higher the commission. Unfortunately, these drivers have become a bane on the road. First of all, there are just too many buses, with an estimated 5,000 city buses and 8,000 provincial buses – and that’s not even including the “colorum” – plying EDSA and other major thoroughfares in Metro Manila. It’s no secret that some bus companies and operators also knowingly tolerate the existence of “colorum” (buses operating illegally without any franchises) and even allow these illegals to park in their terminals.

Many of these drivers are reckless, abusive and arrogant who get a big kick out of terrorizing passengers and drivers of smaller vehicles. Aside from the fact that they are one of the biggest – if not the biggest – contributors to air pollution, they have been pinpointed as one of the major causes of accidents and death on the roads primarily because they have gotten into the habit of racing against each other, treating it as a big joke.

Aside from colorums and killer bus drivers, another big issue hounding the public transport industry is the issuance of franchises, with suspicions that some people in the LTFRB (Land Transport Franchising and Regulatory Board) are making a big profit. As a matter of fact, Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas seems to be taking the bull by the horns by suspending an order awarding 489 “dead” provincial bus franchises to five companies that are owned by just one family based in Luzon.

Naturally, the prospect of monopoly has triggered complaints from rival bus operators who are crying corruption, since never in history has there been a wholesale grant of almost 500 bus franchises (owned by the defunct Pantranco) to just one family. Mar has dared LTFRB officers with “contrary opinion” to tender their resignations, saying the controversial “Lazarus franchises” have long been considered expired and they should not have been brought back to life at all. Mar said he wants to get rid of the old system where the LFTRB board simply issued franchises at their own discretion – giving rise to allegations of patronage and corruption. According to Mar, open public biddings should be conducted with new public transport routes published. An auction can then be held among interested parties to make way for new players – and generate higher revenues since the most government gets per vehicle is P4,000.

People certainly appreciate the firmness displayed by Mar in dealing with the dead franchise issue, saying the Transportation Secretary seems to be making all the right moves. Aside from coming out with “short-term” and “long-term” solutions to the problem of airport congestion, he has ordered the drafting of a bill of rights to protect passengers against abusive taxi, bus and jeepney drivers and operators. He’s also pushing for the gradual conversion of public utility vehicles into more environment-friendly units to address the problem of air pollution. No question the public transport sector is riddled with problems, and this is one opportunity for Mar to make a mark if he is aiming for higher office in the very near future. –Babe G. Romualdez (The Philippine Star)