Metro Manila — The Department of Transportation – Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (DOTr-LTFRB) recently approved a resolution approving the opening of missionary routes to establish an efficient, reliable, and safe mass transport service for the residents of typhoon-ravaged Tacloban City in Leyte.
The wrath of super typhoon “Yolanda” left thousands of casualties and billions of pesos worth of properties in ruins after its landfall in Tacloban City in 2013. As residents struggled to rebuild what they lost, and as the government struggled to expedite the completion of relocation sites, another vital component was left to be addressed– the need for an efficient public transport within, and outside the city.
Four years after, the DOTr-LTFRB has opened new missionary routes to ease the travel of those displaced by the devastation.
In a Board resolution no. 22, the LTFRB said that due to the disaster, around 15,000 families or 90,000 individuals are being relocated to Tacloban North, the single largest post-disaster resettlement area which is located 15 kilometers from the city proper.
Most of those affected by the relocation project of the government come from those living along the coastal areas.
Tacloban North consists of seven barangays (villages), stretching from Barangay 97 (Cabalawan) to Barangay 98 (Tagpuro).
LTFRB also noted that “there is presently no authorized public utility vehicle service route that would serve the area between Tacloban North and Tacloban City Proper.”
In an effort to assist the thousands of relocatees, LTFRB said “there is a clear and urgent necessity to open new missionary routes in this area in order to establish an efficient, reliable, and safe mass transport service for the needs of residents of Tacloban North resettlement site.”
The following are the new missionary routes:
1) Route A – New Transport Terminal to Tagpuro and vice versa (14 kms), servicing the housing sites of Villa Sofia, Sangyaw Village, and New Hope Village
2) Route B—New Transport Terminal to New Kawayan and vice versa (12kms), servicing Villa Diana, North Hill Arbours, Guadalupe Heights, Greendale Subdivision, and St. Francis Village
3) Route C—New Transport Terminal to Cabalawan and vice versa (8 kms), servicing Ridgeview Subdivision, UNDP housing site, Lions Ville, and Knightsridge
In the same LTFRB Board resolution, there will be 15 franchises to be opened for each route, or a total of 45 franchises for the new missionary routes. (DOTR-PR)
