by Antonio M. Ajero
IMAGINE long span buses plying various routes of Davao City and fast seacraft crisscrossing the Davao Gulf to get to and from beach resorts and other destinations of interest to tourists, investors and plain curious visitors.
The twin subjects were discussed Friday by officers of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCI) led by Dr. Malou Monteverde and executives of transportation companies.
Long span buses
The animated discussion was joined in by Rody Al-ag of Davao Metro Shuttle, Ryan Tan of Mabuhay-Blue Taxi, Bonna Pelayo of Krizzia Taxi Company and Laureano “Jun” Caliao Jr., bus operator, who has formed a water taxi company.
On hand to represent the Board of Investments in the talks were Gil M. Dureza, head of the BOI Davao Extension Office; lawyer Lucky Balleque of the Department of Trade and Industry; and Sebastian Angliongto, DCCCII honorary chairman and former head of the defunct Mindanao Economic and Development Council (Medco).
The group considered the possibility of fielding long span passenger buses in selected city routes to address the problem of traffic congestion in many areas and the absence of a more efficient transport system servicing the burgeoning subdivisions in the city’s outskirts.
The long span buses will carry more passengers than the existing ones which are servicing routes from the city and other parts of Mindanao.
No to double deckers
Dureza said that the group set aside the idea of double decker buses proposed earlier because of the large number of overpasses existing in more than 20 areas of the city’s downtown area and the hanging cables of the Davao Light and Power Company, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, Inc., and other telcos like Globe, Smart and Suncellular.
While bus operators said they were interested in investing on long span buses, there is a need for an imprimatur from the city government because it involves allowing a new kind of public transport vehicles in the city’s streets.
Dureza said the long span buses concept will have to be taken up with the city government, starting with the City Council, as there might be need to pass an ordinance to regulate this new public transport operation.
Water taxis
Dureza said the group also showed keen interest in his proposal to allow the operation of fast sea craft within the Davao Gulf to compliment land transportation within and among the four provinces and six cities in the Davao region.
The BOI official presented a concept paper on the fastcraft which was born out of discussions in Malita in July, 2010 between him, DTI’s Balleque and Ms Marivic Placer and Ms Agnes Bertulfo of Davao del Sur. The idea was also discussed with DTI city director Teololu Pasawa.
Dureza said land travel in the Davao region these days has slowed down considerably due to traffic jams, seemingly endless road construction activities, increase in accidents that disrupt traffic flow, and frequent occurrence of street flooding, exacerbated by the government’s inability to construct new roads or widen existing ones in order to catch up with the very fast increase of motor vehicles in Davao and other fast-growing neighboring cities and towns in the region. He said these issues will be partly solved through the operation of fast seacraft within Davao Gulf.
“Sea transport offers a viable alternative means of moving people and goods,” Dureza said, adding that there is only one investor who has so far placed money in fastcraftm plying between Davao City and Lupon, Davao Oriental. (The investor shelved the project after reportedly losing P14 million as a result of the failure of the municipal government to make good its promise to build a pier).
Caliao to invest
In last Friday’s discussion, Jun Caliao, veteran passenger bus operator based in Davao City, expressed interest in investing in sea craft operation.
As it turned out, he had already formed a company to handle this type of operation and is willing to procure a number of 13-seater units that can travel 30 to 35 knots per hour. A unit is priced at 80,000 US dollars.
For a start, Dureza said, the fast craft will be available to tourists who want to be transported to the various resorts around the gulf, but will soon serve regular commuters if the volume of traffic warrants.
Dureza said that the vast potentials of sea craft operation will be realized if the development of tourist and investment destinations is accelerated by their owners with the assistance of local government units (LGUs).
The BOI official also made a an initial list of stopover areas such as:
1. Lupon and its fishing villages,
2. Magnaga (Mabini) Blue Waters
Resort,
3. “Lorenzo Island”, fronting Maco,
4. Davao City Sta. Ana Wharf,
5. “Statue of David” at Queensland zoo and aqua park,
6. Sta. Cruz Passig project,
7. Digos City beach resorts,
8. Malalag Bay and resorts,
9. Sta. Maria (Davao del Sur) and its Little Boracay Resort,
10. Malita and its fishing villages.
