Muntinlupa all set for ‘invasion’ of 556 buses

By Kristine Felisse Mangunay |Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–The Muntinlupa City government is deploying a total of 15 traffic enforcers to guide the over 500 provincial buses that will be using the South Station Terminal in Alabang for the first time on Wednesday.

Gerard Comia, officer in charge of the city’s traffic unit, said the 15 would be deployed specifically to the Alabang-Zapote road and near the Alabang viaduct—areas where traffic might build up—when the 556 provincial buses from Southern Luzon merge with vehicles bound for northern Metro Manila.

According to him, the city enforcers would be assisted by 29 personnel from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

Tez Navarro, the city’s public information officer, said that Muntinlupa policemen and personnel from the Manila Toll Expressway System, which operates the nearby South Luzon Expressway, would also help regulate traffic flow.

Once the buses reach the South Station Terminal, though, Comia said they would be guided by Filinvest personnel instead since the terminal is on Filinvest property, which is considered private.

“If [the Filinvest personnel] can’t [handle the volume] anymore, that’s when we will go inside [the terminal and assist them],” he added.

Navarro said that signs directing bus drivers to the South Station Terminal had already been posted in different parts of the city.

Several weeks ago, Metro Manila mayors approved the use of the terminal as a temporary destination for the 556 provincial buses that would be barred from Edsa as part of efforts to ease traffic on the major thoroughfare.

The affected buses from Laguna and the eastern part of Batangas do not have terminals in Metro Manila.

The traffic plan was supposed to take effect on Aug. 20 although it was postponed by Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi, citing the lack of preparation on the part of the agencies concerned. He later announced that the buses would be allowed to use the South Station Terminal starting Wednesday for a trial period of one month.