Leaders of transport groups have vowed to support the Bayaning Tsuper (BTS) party-list in the coming May 2022 election.
Bayaning Tsuper Party-list is a movement seeking seats in Congress to be able to continue its road safety advocacy and to empower transport groups by serving as their voice.
The Party-list is composed of Atty. Aminola “Alex” Abaton as first nominee, Atty. Philip Josef “PJ” Vera Cruz as second nominee, and Dr. Estella De Guzman as third nominee.
During the dialogues held yesterday with transport groups, the leaders of the Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of The Philippines (ALTODAP), Pasang Masda, and Liga ng Transportasyon at Operators sa Pilipinas, Inc. (LTOP) expressed their staunch support for the Party-list.
Among the proposed legislation of Bayaning Tsuper are the integration of road safety education in the Department of Education curriculum for the primary and secondary levels; and the review and update of the Land Transportation and Traffic Code of 1964.
ALTODAP President Melencio “Boy” Vargas noted that it is very rare for transport groups to unite behind a Party-list’s bid to represent their sector in Congress.
“Bihira lang magsama-sama ang mga malalaking transport groups sa bansa. Ang kailangan natin ay uniting voice. At dahil sa nakita at naramdaman namin ang sinsiridad ng Bayaning Tsuper Party-list na irepresenta at paglingkuran ang sektor ng transportation, ang ALTODAP, kasama ng Pasang Masda at ng iba pang grupo ay nagsama-sama para iindorso ang Bayaning Tsuper,” Vargas said.
For his part, Pasang Masda President Obet Martin expressed confidence in the capabilities of the Party-list nominees.
“I’ve known Atty. Alex Abaton for more than a decade. Nasaksihan ko kung paano s’ya mamuno, at ang kanyang kapasidad bilang isang leader. Hindi matatawaran ang kanyang professional achievements. Kasama ni Atty. PJ [Philip Josef Vera Cruz], parehong abogado, malakas ang pananalig ko na ang sektor ng transportation ay magkakaroon ng totoong boses at kinatawan sa Kongreso.”
Further, LTOP President Orlando Marquez said that the proposed program of governance of the Party-list is well-suited for the requirements of the public transport sector.
“Nung inilatag nila sa amin ang kanilang mga programa, angkop na angkop sa mga pangangailangan ng mga transport organizations sa Pilipinas,” he emphasized.
“Sa madaling salita, kami po sa hanay ng pampublikong transportasyon ay nakasuporta sa adhikain ng Bayaning Tsuper dahil maganda ito. So kami po, lahat ng mga darating pa dito, ‘yung Stop-and-Go, ay nag-usap na kami na sumusuporta kami dito,” he added.
Among the proposed legislation of Bayaning Tsuper are the integration of road safety education in the Department of Education curriculum for the primary and secondary levels; review and update of the Land Transportation and Traffic Code of 1964; creation of a National Road Safety Commission; and the creation of a national data collection system for road crashes.
It also aims to legalize habal-habal operations; promote road safety inclusivity to address the needs of women, persons with disabilities (PWDs), the LGBT community, as well as other marginalized sectors; mandatory road crash incident insurance for tricycle and habal-habal drivers; strengthening of post-crash care for patients; and the institutionalization of other road safety stakeholders’ welfare initiatives.
