CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY —The PN Roa Canitoan Transport Cooperative (PONTRANSCO) will resume partial operations on Wednesday following a dialogue with barangay officials, amid rising fuel costs and a lack of sustainable support for transport operations.

In a statement, PONTRANSCO manager Luzminda Escobidal said Canitoan Punong Barangay Lance Padla appealed for the resumption of trips to assist residents affected by the service disruption.

The cooperative will operate five trips daily, with schedules starting at 3:30 a.m. and ending at 10 p.m. It deploys around 30 units along the route.

PONTRANSCO earlier announced it would halt operations beginning Friday, 3 April, citing continued increases in fuel prices and insufficient financial support.

“We regret to inform the riding public that the PONTRANSCO Calaanan route will have no trips starting Friday, 3 April 2026, until further notice,” the group said in an earlier advisory.

It said the decision was driven by mounting losses due to high diesel prices and the absence of approved fare adjustments.

“Despite our appeal for voluntary fare adjustment, the current situation has made it impossible for us to continue operating without incurring heavy losses,” the cooperative said, adding that concerns had been raised with barangay officials and relevant government agencies.

In response, Mayor Rolando “Klarex” Uy directed the city government to roll out “Libreng Sakay” (free ride) services starting Monday, April 6.

Government-owned vehicles, along with a bus from the mayor’s office, were deployed to assist affected commuters.

The City’s Crisis Committee–Transport Technical Working Group also convened an emergency meeting on Holy Thursday to address the suspension of operations.

The meeting tackled the deployment of additional Libreng Sakay services from both the barangay and the city government, as well as plans to meet with transport cooperative leaders to discuss long-term solutions.

Among those present were Barangay Captain Lance Padla, City Administrator Atty. Roy Raagas, Cagayan de Oro City Police Office director Col. Dexter Paje, CDRRMD chief Nick Jabagat, City Engineer Joel Momongan, RTA officer-in-charge Doy Ramiro, Acting City Information Officer Jade Adeser, and representatives from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

Escobidal, who also heads the Northern Mindanao Federation of Transport Service Cooperatives, said transport groups are incurring losses of up to ₱80,000 per day per cooperative as diesel prices exceed ₱100 per liter.

She added that daily revenues for long-distance routes have dropped from around ₱20,000 to ₱10,000, excluding maintenance and personnel costs.

Escobidal said a temporary suspension of amortization payments for units acquired under the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) would help operators cope with rising fuel costs.