PUVs back to 100% seating capacity in Cebu Province starting March 1

STARTING March 1, 2022, the Province of Cebu will resume full seating capacity in public transport, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022.She said the continuing drop in coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases called for less stringent regulations.“And so after consultation with the LTFRB, the LTO, and of course, the PNP (Philippine National Police), and after a dialogue with the transport operators, I have decided that effective 12:01 a.m. of March 1, we will increase the capacity to full seating capacity. Seated only, and no jump seats. Regular seats (only),” Garcia told reporters.The governor said air-conditioned buses would also be allowed to resume operations, subject still to regular disinfection and UV (ultraviolet) sterilization.Garcia said the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) had offered their fogging machines “for additional disinfection.”The governor said the wearing of face masks would continue, but the wearing of air purifiers by drivers and conductors would now be optional.“But the Provincial Public Utility Vehicle Pass and the trip tickets will still continue to be strictly enforced. This will include taxis. You have the premium and the regular taxis. You have the vans, the mini buses, the buses and including the modern jeepneys that ply the provincial routes,” Garcia said.The governor is poised to issue an executive order on this.On Aug. 4, 2021, Garcia had issued Executive Order (EO) 35-B, series of 2021 allowing only non-airconditioned public utility vehicles (PUVs) to operate within the Province of Cebu during the period of general community quarantine with heightened restrictions at a reduced seating capacity of 75 percent.Air-conditioned PUVs were required to fully open their windows at all times, and all buses and minibuses plying the Province of Cebu were required to secure the Provincial Public Utility Vehicle Pass (PPUVP) from the Provincial Government to ensure their compliance with existing health and safety protocols.The PPUVP contained the plate number of the vehicle and the permitted seating capacity, among other things.Under the EO, each bus or minibus leaving the Cebu North or South Bus Terminal was also to be issued a trip ticket that reflected its date of trip, trip route, maximum seating capacity, and actual number of passengers onboard, among other things.On Aug. 13, 2021, Garcia issued a memorandum requiring all drivers and conductors of PUVs to wear personal purifiers at all times during their trip, effective Aug. 16, 2021.In the same memorandum, Garcia allowed premium taxes to enter the north and south bus terminals to pick up and unload passengers beginning Aug. 14, 2021 provided they secured a Provincial Public Utility Vehicle Pass from the Provincial Government.The PNP and the Highway Patrol Group were tasked to check the compliance of the PUVs with these requirements at checkpoints in strategic areas.EO 35-B was issued at the height of the third wave of Covid-19 in Cebu driven by the deadly Delta coronavirus variant.On Feb. 23, 2022, Cebu Province, which excludes the highly urbanized cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, reported only 32 new Covid-19 cases, according to the Department of Health Central Visayas Covid-19 bulletin.The same bulletin placed the number of active Covid-19 cases in Cebu Province at 838.Cebu Province, which comprises 44 towns and six component cities, has a population of over 3.3 million. (CTL)