DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 27 Dec) – A Chinese bus manufacturer will send a proposal to the City Government of Davao to supply the city with buses that will replace the old jeepneys when it implements the High Priority Bus System (HPBS) to improve the public transport system.
Lemuel G. Ortonio, head of the Davao City Investment Promotions Center (DCIPC), said in an interview that Guangxi Sunlong Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Shanghai Shenlong Bus Co., Ltd., has expressed the interest to sell Davao with buses during the visit of a delegation from the City Government to Jinjiang, China for the 12th China International Garden Expo held early this month.
He said some members of the Davao delegation were taken on a tour at the company’s assembly plant also in Nanning after the expo at the request of the bus manufacturer.
The investment chief said the City Government asked Nanning for “second hand but serviceable buses” ahead of their visit to China but Davao’s sister city, instead, gave two brand new buses manufactured by Guangxi Sunlong.
“We went to the bus company. They said they will send us a proposal to provide the buses. We approached Nanning government (for the donation of buses) but Nanning government gave us brand new buses from Sunlong. Our exchange is government-to-government,” he said.
Davao signed a sister city pact with Nanning in 2007 when President Rodrigo R. Duterte was still mayor.
The transport of the donated Sunlong buses from Nanning is currently being arranged by the City Government of Davao, according to Ortonio.
He said the buses, designed with “Byaheng Do30” logo with Nanning’s city flower “Jaba” known to locals here as “gumamela,” will arrive in the city by first quarter of 2019, he said.
Mayor Sara Duterte earlier said the Dabawenyos can expect that the P3.64-billion HPBS will take shape next year.
The proposed first route will start from Catalunan Grande to Ma-a via Diversion Road; second route, from Mintal, to Bangkal drop-off point, to SM City drop-off point in Ecoland, to San Pedro St. drop-off point, to Bankerohan, to Matina, and then back to Mintal; third route, from Cabantian, to Buhangin, and to Agdao via Cabaguio; fourth route, from Ma-a to Buhangin via Diversion Road; and fifth route, from Toril to Ulas drop-off point, to Matina crossing drop-off point, to Matina Aplaya, to SM City Ecoland, to Matina Crossing, and then back to Toril. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)