YEARS of inaction by local officials who were supposed to craft the municipal and the provincial route plan has heavily dented Bohol’s economy that should have been streamlined as the country re-opened its doors after the pandemic.
Without the much-needed route plan, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) could not move to release new franchised routes, even as Bohol population has increased and new roads have been constructed.
During the 2021 Provincial products Accounts of Bohol, as presented by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), of Bohol’s major industries, only in services sector has Bohol getting a negative growth rate in transportation and storage services.
In 2021, while Bohol posted a 4.3% growth rate in its Gross Provincial Domestic Product compared to a negative 6.3 in 2020, a facilitated legislation setting up the municipal and provincial route plans could have solved the transportation woes that the Boholanos experience.
The stringent measures implemented by the authorities has forced many operators to stop investing, considering that the already approved routes are already overserved, while many areas do not have any public transport regularly plying.
Joselino Baritua, Provincial Tourism Council Tourism Transport Committee chair and a key official of the Bohol Transport Cooperative explained that before the LTFRB could approve new routes, these have to be identified by the LGUs concerned and validated by the provincial officials for an omnibus resolution detailing approved new routes.
Before the release of the Provincial Accounts detailing the performance of Bohol’s leading industries which largely define the gross provincial domestic products, Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado met with the transport leaders to determine the assistance that the provincial government can extend to their problem.
In consultation with the transport sector, steps are in place leading to the approval of a unified transport route plan, emanating from the provincial government, Baritua shared.
It would be quite tedious if we get back to the town legislative councils to propose a route plan and then have the provincial sanggunian validate it. We are into a faster establishment of the measure to allow the LTFRB to establish and approve new routes, the tourism and transport official added.
Belated this may be, this is the best we can do, especially that Bohol is now starting to feel the pinch in the lack of transport operating in several key routes that could drastically cut the travel time and save the commuters money and the hassle. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
