DAVAO CITY — An official from the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT) clarified Thursday that no picking of passengers outside the terminal is not a new regulation, and it is for the safety of passengers.

Aisa Usop, the DCOTT manager, said in an interview that it is also for safety purposes thus, the strict implementation of no-pick-up policy is in light of the bombing incidents involving buses in the neighboring provinces and municipalities, and also to decongest the traffic. 

She added that the no-picking of passengers strongly implemented by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has a counterpart on the local government side. 

“We would like to inform the public that this is not a new law, in fact it is an existing ordinance upon the creation of the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal, that is Ordinance 110 and amended by Ordinance 0192 that prescribed that the loading and unloading should be done in the DCOTT terminal,” Usop said. 

As to concerns of residents who are living far from the terminal, Usop said that DCOTT, the Southern Mindanao Bus Operator’s Association, and the security cluster, are currently studying the proposed stopovers outside terminals.