by Evans Yonson

“Our buses implement social distancing in all our trips,” a bus company manager said in today’s daily press conference held at the Cagayan de Oro City Hall.

Rural Transit Mindanao Inc (RTMI) Yacapin Branch Manager Jesse Lentorio said, “we are enforcing the one-seat apart arrangements in our company.”

Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno called for the strict application of social distancing in all businesses in the city through Executive Order No. 048-2020, issued on March 16.

“We continue to serve the public with stricter health and security measures in Cagayan de Oro City, the provinces of Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon,” Lentorio added.

RTMI has strengthened its measures to counter COVID-19 IN their Agora and Bulua bus terminals through the installation of thermal scanners, provision of alcohol and handwashing areas, and bus disinfections before and after every trip.

“We also ask our passengers to log in their personal details for contact tracing later on,” Lentorio added.

As of press time, RTMI still has intraregional service routes including Gingoog, Balingoan, Maramag, Valencia, Malaybalay, San Fernando, Kadingilan, and Kalilangan. Connections to other regions can availed of from these points.

Alubijid, El Salvador, Laguindingan service vans

Laguindingan Municipal Councilor Donald Rey Ellarina reported that service vans from Misamis Oriental are implementing social distancing in their daily trips to Cagayan de Oro City.

“We have instructed our van drivers to implement a one-seat apart policy,” Ellarina emphasized.

Donsal vans regularly ply the Alubijid, El Salvador, and Laguidingan to Cagayan de Oro routes with at least 20-25 trips a days.

LTFRB 10 appeals for operators’ leniency

In a move to apply social distancing, Land Trnsportation Franchise and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Regional Director Al Guro appealed to all jeepney operators in Cagayan de Oro to be lenient.

“I implore our jeepney operators to temporarily decrease their daily boundary collection,” Guro said.

Guro added, “we are coordinating and working with the Road and Traffic Administration and Land Transportation Office to implement social distancing and fare monitoring in all our public utility vehicles.”

LTFRB-10 has released the Department of Transportation’s guidelines on social distancing and community quarantine.

Guro appealed for the bus companies to provide free transportation for health workers, medical staff and personnel during this trying time.

Transportation during curfew hours

Mayor Moreno, meanwhile, has strongly advised Cagayan de Oro residents to stay home to control the spread of COVID-19.

Health workers and medical staff commuting during curfew hours have been advised to bring their personal identification (ID) cards for ease of passage to and fro their hospitals and clinics.

“We have already instructed our military and police officers to allow our health workers to pass through checkpoints smoothly,” Moreno said.