PITX waives terminal fees for buses and jeepneys

The Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) will be waiving its terminal fees for buses and jeepneys starting today.

This was revealed by Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Art Tugade last week at the launch of the vaccination drive of transport workers there.

Tugade announced that the PITX — represented by Megawide Chairman Edgar Saavedra — heeded his call “to cushion the impact of the pandemic on the public transport sector until travel restrictions are eased.”

The initial COVID-19 vaccination drive for transport workers — dubbed as “TsuperHero: Kasangga ng Resbakuna” — will inoculate public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers, conductors, and other transport workers through a partnership among the DOTr Road Transport Sector, the Department of Health (DOH), the Mega Manila Consortium Corporation (MMCC), the Parañaque City government, and the PITX.

“Mahalaga po para sa atin na masigurong bakunado ang ating mga bayaning transport workers, lalo na at iba't-ibang lugar ang kanilang pinupuntahan, gayundin ang mga taong kanilang nakakasalamuha sa araw-araw (it is important for us to make sure that our heroic transport workers are vaccinated, especially since they go to different places and deal with various people every day),” Tugade said during the ceremony.

Five buses were converted for use in the inoculation drive. Of the said number, MMCC used the three units to inoculate at least 1,000 transport workers every Saturday to reach its minimum target of 6,000 vaccine recipients.

The DOTr shared that the preliminary batch of vaccines came from the Parañaque City government. The local government unit also provided the medical personnel for the screening, vaccination, and post-vaccination stations. Meanwhile, the remaining vaccines will be sourced from the national government, through the help of the DOH’s Metro Manila Center for Health Development.

For his part, Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez said the initiative will speed up the city’s goal of achieving herd immunity as 250,000 residents have already been vaccinated. “This help from the DOTr and the IATF is a big step for the city to achieve its goal of herd immunity. Any form of help is welcome and hugely appreciated as the struggle felt by Filipinos due to the pandemic needs to be stopped immediately,” Olivarez was quoted as saying.

The vaccination program for transport workers will initially be done in Metro Manila and in nearby cities. It will be later implemented in other regions to cover remote areas.

Photos from Department of Transportation, Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange Facebook page

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