THE Sangguniang Panlalawigan invited the regional director of the Land Transportation and Franchising Board (LTFRB) in their next regular session to be updated on the status of the request of Governor Amado Espino III for the resumption of Pangasinan-MetroManila provincial bus operations.

Fourth District Board Member Jeremy Agerico Rosario cited Governor Espinos’ letter to LTFRB supporting the request of three bus companies, namely Five Star Bus Co., Inc., Victory Liner, Inc. and First North Luzon Transit, Inc for special permits to field their buses to service their old lines from Pangasinan to Quezon City and vice versa.

He said separate appeals from Mayors Gualberto Sison of Agno, Joganie Rarang of Anda, Alfonso Celeste of Bolinao, Leopoldo Bataoil of Lingayen; Carlos Trece Mapili of Tayug were also made for the resumption of provincial bus operations.

Mayor Bataoil, president of the Pangasinan Mayors League, said he had written to LTFRB Regional Director Narusdin Talipasan on November 6, 2020 endorsing Victory Liner to service its routes for the duration of quarantine period, even just for 10 units only to travel on the routes Lingayen to Dagupan to Cubao and vice versa.

As early as November 18, 2020, Governor Espino also wrote Dagupan City Mayor Brian Lim asking for his comment on the request of bus companies to resume their operations on inter-provincial routes, particularly, trips to and from provinces outside Region 1.

Rosario noted that point to point buses are already serving Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and La Union to Manila and vice versa, but Pangasinan has been left out.

He said without the provincial buses serving the Pangasinan-Metro Manila route, thousands of local residents who have no private vehicles are forced to commute on board vans for hire that charge extremely high fares. (Leonardo Micua/Eva Visperas)

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