Privilege Speech of Hon.

Lachica | January 8, 2014 | Odiongan, Romblon

When I won as Municipal Councilor of this municipality and taken my oath of office, I have taken a stand to be the representative of our people in the Barangay. I came from the barangay and served for thirteen (13) years as representative of our poor, abused people in the barangay. The poor and abused passengers often victimized during passenger season, are the very people comprising our barangays of this municipality and other municipalities in the province of Romblon. I know that after this privilege speech, I will break ties with some of the people who had been my friends long ago. Others might get angry with me, some might despise me, but I have to act, I have to side with the aggrieved, offended people who are soliciting for any support that we can do as their representatives in this august Body. The time has come that those unfair practices must be stopped and changed; that the concerned agencies such as MARINA must be informed and step into the pictures. Mr. Presiding Officer and members of this august Body, I am now taking a stand against the unjust and irregular ticketing system of the Montenegro Shipping Lines for several days last week; and its always happening during peak season. It is the policy of the Montenegro Shipping Lines that during the passengers peak season, they let passengers fall in line to get tickets; but it is half-truth/half lies. Yes, some of the passengers get their tickets by falling in line, but it is of very little value or percentage when it comes to the total accommodation of tickets being sold by the shipping company. The majority goes to the drivers/conductors who were given twenty (20) tickets each, 5 tickets less than the usual allocation. In addition, there are 20 more tickets for the members of the ticketing office. You can easily figure out how many tickets go to the passengers falling in line. To add insult to injury, these people were benefited of having automatic tickets do not have to fall in line, they just wait for the go signal. Those people who were left to fall in line starting from early seven in the evening up to morning were sometimes told that the tickets were already sold out. Thanks to unfair and unjust allocation of tickets. (That happened last January 4, Saturday) Mr. Chairman and members of this august Body, the Barangay Captain of my Barangay, Hon. Leopoldo F. Forcadas, Jr., face humiliation after being rejected for tickets requested by Barangay Captain Adriel Fajutagana of Tulay Barangay Captain Gaspar of Rizal, thats why the barangay tanods who were asked to marshall in the area were pulled out last January 5 resulting into chaos every time vehicles passes by. If they have done this to the head of our barangay, how much more to the ordinary people. It is on this condition that this august Body must take a unanimous stand against abuses and let this be investigated by the proper agencies concerned and adopt measures that will regulate the ongoing ticketing system of every shipping companies and encourage more schedule of routes for other shipping companies. Thank you very much.