By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Transport group Sentrong Samahan ng mga Tsuper of Operators ng Negros (SSTONE) yesterday said they welcome the announcement of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) that all plastic barriers inside public utility vehicles (PUVs) can now be removed.

Based on the DOTr’s announcement, aside from the removal of plastic barriers, PUVs are also now allowed to load 70 percent of their total seating capacity starting November 4.

SSTONE Secretary-General Jessie Ortega, in a radio interview, said for a long time they have been asking for the barriers to be removed but were unable to do so because of the protocols set by the Department of Health (DOH) in order to enforce social distancing measures.

Ortega pointed out there is no concrete proof that the plastic barriers actually help in stopping the spread of COVID-19.

Instead the barrier is doing more harm than good, as there were times that some passengers were actually injured by the barriers due to the staplers being used to secure them.

Ortega also said that the Land Transportation Office should also be stricter in the enforcement of social distancing measures in all vehicles./DGB, WDJ