ZAMBOANGA CITY (PNA) – Mayor Celso Lobregat managed to convince bus operators and the owner of a bus terminal that was destroyed by fire on Monday evening to continue serving the public at the burned out terminal in Barangay Guiwan, some five kilometers from the city proper.

Fire destroyed the terminal building and left the city with no other bus terminal to serve hundreds of buses and passenger vans that ply the routes to and from cities, towns and provinces in the Zamboanga Peninsula and other parts of Mindanao.

The mayor conferred with bus operators displaced by the fire incident at the Guiwan bus terminal on Monday night to ensure that operations are back to normal following the tragedy.

For the convenience of the commuters, the bus companies like Rural Transit, SSG, Liza May and others decided to stay at the privately owned Guiwan bus terminal even as clearing operations for the fire debris were ongoing with the assistance of the City Engineer’s Office on orders of Lobregat.

Immediately after the fire broke out on Monday night, Lobregat, together with Councilor Nonong Guingona, proceeded to the area to supervise the operations.

After the fire has been contained, he met with representatives of the bus companies and the terminal administrator concerning the plans, particularly their trips in and out of this city.

It was agreed initially that the buses’ departure will be at their depot at Covarrubias Drive in Divisoria.

But things have changed. As of Thursday, bus departure remained at the burnt site with the concurrence of the property owner.

So far, Lobregat said the terminal operations are back to normal but the individual bus company will be setting up its own temporary waiting sheds for the convenience of the passengers.

“They will assess the situation once the property is cleared,” he said.

The city government has approved last year the construction of a P180 million Integrated Bus Terminal Project in Barangay Divisoria.

The project was bidded out by the city government last January 16, but the city mayor has been charged with malpractices in the bidding process and he has recalled an award earlier issued to a contractor.

The two contractors, the winner and the losing bidder, have filed cases against the city mayor at the Regional Trial Court and the Ombudsman relative to the bidding of the project.