Closing down illegal bus terminals ‘could be bloody’

Closing down illegal bus terminals could lead to violence if their operators defy authorities implementing closure orders.

Garry Domingo, chief of the Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) in Quezon City, raised the concern and said government agencies assigned to close illegal terminals must be ready to handle any resistance from the operators.

Domingo is anticipating such a problem when his office starts inspecting the 100 bus terminals in Quezon City to determine the errant ones.

Even with the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and local government units (LGU) backing the campaign, closing illegal terminals will not be easy because rogue bus operators could resort to a circuitous legal battle or worse, stand their ground and defy a closure order.

“That is a distinct possibility. But I simply treat this as an occupational hazard. As a government servant I have to do what is right and just. There is no other way around it but to enforce the law. Dangers are part of the trade,” he said.

Quezon City Councilors Eufemio Lagumbay, Ranulfo Ludovica, Victor Ferrer Jr., and Allan Francisco share Domingo’s concern and called for adequate security for the men serving the closure order on erring bus firms.

“I guess the President has to step in. His hard-nose style of dealing with lawlessness is the antidote to this growing problem especially with the growing traffic woes in Metro Manila and neighboring areas,’’ Domingo said.

The Quezon City government signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the LTFRB and MMDA to team up in getting rid of illegal terminals in the city, especially those along EDSA.

Under the agreement, the LTFRB will check if a terminal is up to its standards, while the city government will determine if a terminal has the necessary municipal permits.

The MMDA will continuously verify if the terminals strictly follow the nose in, nose out policy for its buses.

Domingo said the agreement will not only weed out errant operators but also protect legitimate bus companies.