Sorsogon unveiled new transport routes for public utility vehicles under the Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) that will make travel easy within the province and tourist destinations more accessible to visitors.
In a statement on Thursday, Governor Francis Escudero said the LPTRP, the first in the Bicol Region, details the route networks, mode of transport, and the allocation of units per mode of transportation that will be allowed to ply the province.
Under the plan, public transport vehicles like jeepneys, Utility Vehicle (UV) Express, mini-buses, and tricycles will be more organized in plying their routes and won’t have to compete for passengers to earn an income.
“Sa pamamagitan din po nito, sana ma-engganyo din natin ang ating mga jeepney operators na magkaroon pa ng dagdag pang jeep, dagdag pang pagkakataon na trabaho para sa ating mga kababayan sa mga bagong rotang bubuksan natin sa ating lalawigan (In line with this, I hope more jeepney operators will be encouraged to add more units, additional work for our fellowmen for the new route that will be open in our province),” Escudero said.
The creation of the public transport routes also augurs well for the tourism industry by making travel in Sorsogon more friendly to visitors, he said.
“We prioritized this to also boost tourism in our province. Donsol town is much nearer to Legazpi. After watching the butanding (whale sharks), tourists tend to go back and are not able to watch and experience other spots and beaches in the province,” Escudero said in Filipino.
He also urged the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (local council) to pass an ordinance adopting the use of the Sorsogon LPTRP in order to pave the way for the opening of 22 inter-city and inter-municipality routes to more public utility vehicles.
Escudero hopes that nearby provinces, like Camarines Sur and Albay, would complete their LPTRP.
“Meron na kami ngayong limang kalyeng nag-uugnay sa Sorsogon at Legazpi kabilang na ang Maharlika Highway na marapat tingnan at pag-aralan din kung papano ito makokonekta sa pamamagitan ng public transport route (We already have five roads that connect with Legazpi City, including the Maharlika Highway, that needs to be studied on how to connect for public transport route),” Escudero added.
The LPTRP was formed by the Provincial Planning and Development Office headed by Dominador Jardin, LPTRP Technical Working Group headed by Escudero, and Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Regional Project Management Office-5 headed by Arthur Cladera. (PNA)
