Former Civil Service Chair and three-time Davao City representative Karlo Nograles said on Sunday that Davao’s students would benefit from an improved transport system that eases their daily commute, especially after school hours.
In a radio interview that weekend, Nograles shared that he observed that many students could be seen in the evening around the city’s various colleges and universities waiting to get a ride home.
According to the longtime public servant, he made inquiries and learned that there were fewer jeeps plying routes once they reach their “boundary” in the afternoons and early evenings, which coincide with the dismissal times of thousands of students.
“Humahaba ang pila sa hapon at gabi dahil mas konti na ang mga jeep na pumapasada. Kawawa tuloy ang mga estyudyante,” lamented Nograles.
“Imbes na nasa bahay na sila, nag-aaral at nagpapahinga kasama ang pamilya, nasa labas pa rin sila dahil sa matagal na hintayan ng masasakyan. Araw-araw na pasakit ito na dapat bigyan ng agarang solusyon.”
Nograles explained there were examples elsewhere that can be emulated, like in Quezon City, where the LGU purchased buses and implemented a Libreng Sakay program.
Nograles noted that as a major education hub in Mindanao, Davao City is home to some 50 universities and colleges, not to mention numerous high schools.
Overall enrollment at all levels in Davao City hovers at 420,000 students, the biggest in the entire Davao Region.
Nograles said, “out of that figure, let’s just say a very conservative amount of 10,000 tertiary-level student commuters face day-to-day mobility problems, during the most vulnerable times safety and security wise.”
“Kaya natin solusyunan ang problemang ito. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, we just need to bring it to Davao City.”
He explained there were examples elsewhere that can be emulated, like in Quezon City, where the LGU purchased buses and implemented a Libreng Sakay program.
“Here in Davao City, we can have mini buses that offer free rides or at least discounted or subsidized fares to our students during certain hours. We can organize the routes based on time and motion studies, prioritizing areas where there is a concentration of educational institutions,” added Nograles.
The lawyer stressed that these buses will not compete with the existing jeepney network but will only supplement it, noting “we will fill in gaps in our local transport system and prioritize the need to safely bring our students home”.
Nograles plans to extend what he calls his “solutions-based governance” to other pressing LGU concerns, such as the automation of the entire City Hall and its allied offices in crucial areas of license and permit issuance, data storage, and expanded medical assistance, among many others.
