Senators file measure to probe cause of Manila Post Office fire

SENATORS Alan Peter Cayetano and Loren Legarda filed similar resolutions for an inquiry on the cause of the fire that gutted the Manila Central Post Office.

The resolutions also call for the need to restore the building and protect other historic sites.

Cayetano noted that the said fire was “a wake-up call” on the need to protect national heritage buildings and artifacts.

“The state should make use of this unfortunate event as a learning opportunity on how buildings of cultural, artistic, and historical significance to the

Philippines should be better taken care of as future tragedies of this scale must be prevented,” Cayetano said in his Senate Resolution No. 635.

With the fire happening during the celebration of National Heritage Month, Cayetano said it is “incumbent upon the government to provide safeguards to protect our national treasures with modern equipment, surveillance, and strategies, and to ensure that the relevant agencies receive proper funding.”

During the plenary session, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said he filed a measure to create a special Sen- ate committee “to look after the restoration and rehabilitation” of the iconic landmark in Manila.

Sen. Sonny Angara, who chairs the Senate finance committee, said Zubiri had instructed him to work with the Department of Budget and Management to find sources of funds for the building’s rehabilitation.

Rebuilt after the war, the heritage building beside the Pasig River is known for its Greco-Roman pillars and neoclassical style designed by Juan Arellano, Tomas Mapua and Ralph Doane.

Sen. Chiz Escudero guranteed the building is covered by the state insurer Government Service Insurance System. GSIS president Wick Veloso confirmed that the building is insured for P604 million.

“That should be the financial cornerstone of its reconstruction,” Escudero said.

The iconic post office caught fire on Sunday night, May 21, and was engulfed in flames for a total of eight hours before the fire was brought under control by the Bureau of Fire Protection on Monday morning. Damage was estimated at around P300 million. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Competition regulator says no cap on motorcycle taxis in PH

THE Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) is not keen on imposing a cap on the number of motorcycle taxis plying the country’s roads because it would encourage more players to enter the country’s growing motorcycle taxi industry and benefit commuters.

These were the points stressed by a representative of the PCC who participated in the recent joint hearing of the Senate Committees on Public Services and Local Government that tackled proposed measures to regulate and legalize motorcycles-for-hire to ensure they are safe, efficient and affordable as a mode of public transportation.

Asked by Senate Committee on Public Services Chairperson Grace Poe on the possible entry of Grab Philippines in the motorcycle taxi industry, PCC Executive Director Kenneth Tanate said: “In terms of market situation, more players would be better for consumers.”

“If we are going to apply competition principles, no cap would be better given that it would benefit the consumers,” Tanate added in addressing concerns on capping the number to motorcycle taxis that would be allowed to operate.

In the guidelines of the Department of Transportation-backed Technical Working Group, only three transportation network companies are allowed to operate under the three-year-old pilot program. They are Angkas, whose estimated market share is more than 50%, JoyRide and Move It. Macon Ramos-Araneta