MANILA -- The City of Muntinlupa, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) are ready for the opening of the South Station in Alabang, Muntinlupa for the 556 buses from Bicol, Southern Luzon, and Visayas.





In a meeting Monday with officials of Muntinlupa City Hall, LTFRB representatives submitted the list of 556 buses that will be using the South Station bus terminal in Alabang.





“Kami po ay handang-handa na upang matugunan ang isyu at kapakanan ng ating mga mananakay at mga provicincial buses na nagmumula sa katimogan. Nagpapasalamat kami sa tulong at alok ni Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi na maresolba ang trapik sa bahagi nito ng Metro Manila sa pamamgitan ng paggamit ng kanilang South Station Bus Terminal. We appreciate their concern to extend a helping hand to find a solution to this problem,” LTFRB chairman Atty. Winston Ginez said.





Ginez said that they will wait for the final go signal of Muntinlupa City to make sure that all is well coordinated with LTFRB, MMDA and their local enforcers to ensure a smooth flow of traffic in the area.





Prior notice has also been given to affected bus companies. Alex Yague, president of Provincial Bus Operators Association of the Philippine (PBOAP) and Jovy Simundac, president of Southern Luzon Bus Operators Association (SOLUBOA), were also present during the meeting of LTFRB, MMDA and local officials of Muntinlupa.





Ginez said that the LTFRB’s main function is to make sure that the more than 500 additional buses have legitimate bus routes from SLEX to the south terminal and proper identifying marks such as sticker or tags are distributed to these bus units to avoid confusion once it is fully operational.





“Mayor Fresnedi and I already discussed the details of the Memorandum Circular (MC) that we will be releasing by this week. This will give them a list of all buses that are only allowed to use the South Station Bus Terminal. LTFRB will discuss with MMDA and City of Manila regarding the identification and tagging of buses that are allowed to drop and pick-up passengers in this area. We will leave the traffic management and apprehension of traffic violators to MMDA and the city of Muntinlupa that are not under our JAO rules and regulations,” Ginez clarified.





Another 583 buses with routes ending in Lawton, Manila will remain status quo pending talks of Pasay City Mayor Antonino Calixto with Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and Philippine National Construction Corp. (PNCC) for a designated staging area for buses without terminals in LRT/Buendia Ave.





Another meeting is set later with LTFRB and mayors of Quezon City, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Malabon and Navotas and MMDA to determine staging areas for 226 provincial buses coming from Northern Luzon whose end points in Metro Manila is Balintawak, Central Integrated Terminal and "Metro Manila". (PNA) CTB/PR/JSD