THE Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has allowed public utility vehicles (PUVs) to access the shortcut road passing through the New Bilibid Prison complex in Muntinlupa, Muntinlupa City Mayor Ruffy Biazon said in a post on his social media account.
“Pumayag na in principle ang BuCor na magkaroon muli ng access ang public utility vehicles sa NBP compound na siyang maghahatid-sundo sa mga estudyante ng Muntinlupa National High School (MNHS) at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa (PLMun) (The BuCor has agreed in principle to give access to public utility vehicles to the NBP compound to ferry students of the Muntinlupa National High School and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa),” Biazon said.
He said a “trial implementation” will begin next week with clear safety guidelines.
He said the BuCor has set conditions for the use of the access road, among them are the 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. PUV operation time, designated pick-up and drop-off points, proper attire for drivers, drug testing for drivers, and clear identification of vehicles.
Biazon urged everyone concerned to cooperate and comply with the conditions to ensure the success and safety of the public, especially of students.
“We need the cooperation, discipline, and patience of everyone so that this road access scheme will proceed smoothly,” he added in Filipino.
To recall, the BuCor limited the access of vehicles to the Bilibid complex due to security concerns. In 2021, it also put up a concrete wall on the access road that affected residents, including those from the National Housing Authority Southville 3 village.
The limited access to public vehicles was compounded last month when the South Greenheights Village Association also closed the access road in South Greenheights subdivision due to concerns on cleanliness, safety and order.
The closure of the subdivision’s access road posed additional transportation problems to the students and teachers of MNHS and PLMun.
At present, Biazon said MNHS students are permitted limited access through the BuCor compound via tricycles, but he said the arrangement is insufficient as long queues have become a daily burden for the students and teachers.
He added that aside from the 5,000 MNHS students, the over 15,000 PLMun students have also been affected since the “current transportation set up is severely inadequate.”
The tricycles are augmented by service vehicles deployed by the city government to provide free transport to the affected students and teachers.
