Davao City Third District Representative Isidro Ungab confirmed to Edge Davao that Congress has deleted the budget for the High Priority Bus System (HPBS) Project of Davao City this year.
“They (Congress) deleted the budget this year and even last year’s budget too,” Ungab said.
Ungab, former chairperson of the powerful House’s Committee on Appropriations, added that this is despite the fact that the HPBS project was endorsed by the Development Budget Coordinating Committee and the loan from Asian Development Bank (ADB) was already signed by the ADB officials.
When asked if the removal of the budget for HPBS was politically motivated, Ungab replied “well, the action speaks louder than words. As I grow old, I listen less to what people say. I just watch them do what they say, or not do.”
The HPBS project is projected to address the traffic problems in the city, specially during peak hours.
The HPBS project includes the development of public transport terminals, depots, and a driving school as key supporting facilities of the modern service; 1,119 bus stops; and more than 1,000 new bus.
HPBS would replace the existing jeepney network with a four-tier (MetroDavao, DavaoInter, DavaoFeeder, and DavaoLocal), 29-route network operating with larger buses (including 18m articulated and 12m bus units), which significantly reduce the number of public transport vehicles on the roadways (reducing PUVs). Small 10m buses will also be introduced.
Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte earlier reiterated that Congress did not allocate a budget for the HPBS.
“Ang HPBS wala na na gi-budgetan sa Congress. Wala na gi-budgetan ni (Martin) Romualdez. Ang solusyon (traffic) naa na, ang pag roll out na lang ang ginahulat. Pareha aning bus system. Naistorya naman nato ang Asian Development Bank, nakapag loan nata. Miabot na si Bongbong Marcos, mipirma nila ug kontrata unya karon ginapugngan nila,” he said.
The mayor said the Marcos administration did not pour the budget for projects like HPBS to taint the image of Davao City.
“Para lain tan-awon, ang Davao dili nila naugan ug kuwarta para aning mga butanga,” he said.
The mayor also cited that this is the unitary system of government of the Philippines, which according to him, whoever is close to the President will be in favor.
