Employees of the biggest bus company in the country will plant 2,119 seedlings of native species of Lawa-an and Bacan trees in the upland Barangay Spur-21 of Don Salvador Benedicto in Negros Occidental today.
Vallacar Transit Inc. media relations officer Jade Seballos said this is in compliance with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board policy that the company should plant a seedling for every unit of the bus company before it can renew its franchise to operate.
The planting of seedlings shows the firm’s cooperation to the programs implemented by the LTFRB, it added.
Around a hundred employees, including managers and officers, will participate in the tree planting activity, with health protocols and social distancing to be strictly observed.
Seballos added that Vallacar Transit Inc. maintains the 50 percent passenger load capacity in all its units operating in Negros Occidental. The company follows the guidelines issued by the National Inter Agency Task Force, she said.
For its Negros operations, Seballos added that even during this month of December, only 20 percent of the company’s total units are plying their routes because of the low number of passengers.
Since the new health protocol was implemented in May, Seballos said commuters opted to stay in their locality and avoid traveling to Bacolod City. Some workers also chose to stay in boarding houses in the city than commute every day using public transport out of fear of getting the virus.
The hassle of getting travel clearances is also one reason why travelers opted to stay in their towns and cities. – MML
