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By Jefferson Antiporda, Reporter
PUBLIC Transport operators branded as
“unnecessary” the move of the Department of Transportation and
Communications (DOTC) to call for a transport summit today separate
from the later Energy Summit earlier called by the Department of
Energy to find ways on how to address the problems brought by the
oil crisis.
Efren de Luna, president of the Alliance of
Concerned Transport Organization (ACTO) said the transport summit is
just a waste of government resources and time because the Energy
department, upon orders of President Gloria Arroyo, has already set
an energy summit to be participated by different sectors of the
society including the transport sector.
The transport leader added that based on the
invitation they received from the DOTC, there will be no discussion
about major problems facing the public transport sector, like the
single ticketing system, fuel discounts, operation of “colorum”
vehicles, and the continuous existence of corrupt traffic enforcers.
“These are the issues we want to tackle in the
summit, but the DOTC did not include it on their agenda, so what
good will the separate summit bring to us?” he added.
The Energy department will conduct the first
ever energy summit from January 29 to February 5. Each day shall be
devoted to specific energy issues.
The summit will be participated by the various
government agencies, energy industry and the transportation sector.
The Energy department is expected to come out
with new policies, programs and legislation to provide short-term,
medium-term and long-term solutions to the country’s energy
problems based on the inputs and suggestion to be given by the
participants.
“Instead of attending the DOTC transport
summit, we will just prepare for the bigger and more organized
energy summit,” said de Luna.
De Luna also appealed for a stop to the
appointment of former generals at the Land Transportation Office (LTO),
saying President Arroyo should consider people who have served the
agency for a long time and has a wide knowledge on the operation of
the office, he said.
De Luna was reacting to reports that LTO chief
Reynaldo Berroya is already on his way out of the agency after
serving 14 months to serve as DOTC undersecretary for
telecommunication.
Although there is no confirmation yet as to
Berroya’s transfer, de Luna said it will be mush better if the
President will install a nonmilitary at the LTO or a person who is
more qualified to run the said transportation office.
Among those considered as nonmilitary were
Department of Transportation and Communications Special Assistant
Bert Suansing and lawyer Jimmy Pesigan, LTO executive director.
President Arroyo and DOTC Secretary Leandro
Mendoza have allegedly chosen Berroya to supervise the
telecommunications department due to his expertise in communications
and intelligence.
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