New missionary routes to be established in Yolanda-hit villages in Tacloban

The government will establish new missionary routes for the residents of Tacloban City who were hit by super typhoon Yolanda in November 2013.

The Department of Transportation - Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (DOTr-LTFRB) has  approved a resolution which will give way to the opening of missionary routes in order to “establish an efficient, reliable, and safe mass transport service” for those displaced by the devastation of Yolanda in Tacloban City.

“As residents struggled to rebuild what they lost, and as the government struggled  to expedite the completion of relocation sites, another vital component was left to be addressed— the need for an efficient public transport within, and outside the city,” DOTR-LTFRB said in a press release.

The LTFRB, in its Board Resolution No. 22, said due to the wrath of Yolanda, around 15,000 families or 90,000 individuals are being relocated to Tacloban North, which it said is the “single largest post-disaster resettlement area which is located 15 kilometers from the city proper.”

The LTFRB said that the following will be the new missionary routes:

• Route A – New Transport Terminal to Tagpuro and vice versa (14 kms), servicing the housing sites of Villa Sofia, Sangyaw Village, and New Hope Village
• Route B—New Transport Terminal to New Kawayan and vice versa (12kms), servicing Villa Diana, North Hill Arbours, Guadalupe Heights, Greendale Subdivision, and St. Francis Village
• Route C—New Transport Terminal to Cabalawan and vice versa (8 kms), servicing Ridgeview Subdivision, UNDP housing site, Lions Ville, and Knightsridge

At least 15 franchises will be opened for each said route or a total of 45 franchises, according to the LTFRB.

The LTFRB said that most of the affected by the government’s relocation projection are those living along the coastal areas.

Meanwhile, the agency also underscored that “there is presently no authorized public utility vehicle service route that would serve the area between Tacloban North and Tacloban City Proper.”

“[T]here is a clear and urgent necessity to open new missionary routes in this area in order to establish an efficient, reliable, and safe mass transport service for the needs of residents of Tacloban North resettlement site,” the LTFRB said. —Marlly Rome Bondoc/KBK, GMA News