The House Committee on Transportation approved the bill seeking the creation of a Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) office in Bacolod City on Wednesday, November 9.
House Bill 293, authored by Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya, was approved during the Committee’s regular meeting.
LTFRB officer-in-charge, Engr. Riza Marie Paches, expressed their full support for the bill to ensure the delivery of efficient and effective services to the public, Gasataya said.
“The LTFRB also acknowledged our primary concern on the accessibility of the LTFRB office for Region 6 as it is situated on a separate island from Negros and Bacolod City,” he added.
Gasataya thanked the LTFRB, and the House Committee on Transportation headed by Rep. Romeo Acop for supporting the initiative.
The bill still needs to be approved by the House on third and final reading.
Gasataya, in his explanatory note on the bill, said with the rising economy in the Western Visayas region, particularly in the Metropolitan Bacolod area, motor vehicle use has been on an upward trend.
This is evident in the growing volume of traffic especially in major thoroughfares, he said.
Gasataya said this has resulted in a rise in the demand for services provided by the LTFRB in relation to franchise application, registration, regulation, and issuance and sectoral subsidy programs in Bacolod.
However, despite the rising number of stakeholders situated in the Metropolitan Bacolod area, they are still burdened with the inconvenience of travelling to the LTFRB Regional Office in Iloilo, Gasataya said.*