Philtranco marks 90 years in travel, transport trade

Top officials and executives from the country’s travel and transport industry will gather today at Philtranco’s main hub, the first bus company in the country, as it celebrates its 90th year today (July 6, 2004). It will be marked with simple rites at the newly renovated Philtranco Central Station along EDSA corner Pasay City.

Jose E. B. Antonio, Philtranco president and chief executive officer (CEO), will launch the program of the bus company’s Computerized Ticketing and Reservation System, Cargo Box, Green Cargo, Door-to-Door and On-board Philtranco.

The new products, officials said, will enhance Philtranco’s service to the traveling public, which also aims to promote domestic tourism nationwide.

The Bicol-based transport company, a globally competitive transportation provider, continues to innovate to help boost the local tourism with its most extensive area of coverage in the country via the "Ro-Ro" (roll-on, roll-off), its coverage of roads and ferry boats connecting Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

With the widest network set-up, Philtranco buses ply the routes from Manila to Quezon, Bicol, Samar, Leyte, Cebu all the way to Cagayan de Oro, Davao and other Eastern routes. Likewise from Manila to Caticlan, Iloilo and Estancia via Batangas and Mindoro on its latest routes along the Western seaboard using the Strong Republic Nautical Highway.

Philtranco takes pride in its 20 Gold Service (GS) buses, its extra wider and bigger land transports with service and amenities similar to that of an airplane. Staffed by pretty and competent stewardesses as well as skilled drivers, a Gold Service bus is designed to make long-haul travels very comfortable and hasslefree. Aside from more legroom and ergonomically-fitted seats, the GS bus offers on-board meals and snacks, blankets, on-board television, stereo and a toilet cubicle at the bus’ rear end.

Aside from the 20 GS coaches, Philtranco’s fleet of 370 buses include 200 air-conditioned and 150 non-air-conditioned buses. Moving over 2.7 million passengers a year, Philtranco logs an average of 200 Northbound and Southbound daily trips with an estimated terminal traffic of 19,000 daily passengers.

Founded by former Amercian serviceman Albert Louis Ammen and Max Blouse, Philtranco, previously known as A.L. Ammen Transportation Company (ALATCO), started in Bicol on July 1, 1914.

Philtranco has changed several hands since then and 40 years after its founding, ALATCO’s control shifted to the Tuason family who holds shares of the Eastern Tayabas Bus Company (ETB), a merging of three small bus companies working in Quezon’s Tayabas area.

Seventeen years later, the First Manila Management Corp. (FMMC), via its subsidiary Central Auto Bus Corp. (CABCO) now known as Philtranco South Express Inc. (PSEI), bought the ALATCO and ETB from the Tuasons.

Since 1984 to 1989, the bus company was known as PSEI. Between those years, PSEI’s senior executives negotiated for the transfer of ownership of the entire FMMC group to its managers, employees and pre-martial law owners. Thus, the group became the first Filipino corporation majority-owned, managed and operated by its own employees and managers.

But even beefed up transport biggies like PSEI traveled the long-haul routes to success via jagged economic highways. After some painful setbacks in the ’70s, the thriving bus company rebounded and charted a net worth of R34.9 million by the end of 1989.

Philtranco boosted domestic travel during the third quarter of 1986 when it launched its LuzViMinda run, a bus-cum-ferry operation linking Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao in a nationwide route. This was followed by cargo truck and air-conditioned bus services.

Eight years later, Philtranco went thru changing of the guards again when the Mantrasco group bought its entirety. Mantrasco’s impressive lineup included juvenile and assertive entrepreneurs dominant in the transport trade like Johnny T. Hernandez of Victory Liner, Cesar T. Hernandez of Five Star Bus Company and Jaime E. Chua of JAC Liner, Inc.

Finally, the Jose Ch. Alvarez-led Penta Pacific Realty Corp. acquired Philtranco in 1999. As Tritran majority owner and operator, Alvarez consolidated the operations of Philtranco and Tritran and launched a top solo and dynamic intermodal transport company in the Southern Philippines via R250-million makeover and additional 80 brand new units.

Now, under the helm of Jose Pepito Ch. Alvarez as chairman of the board, and Jose E.B. Antonio as its president and chief executive officer (CEO), Philtranco is about to wrap-up its five-year, R4-billion expansion program that involved purchase of 200 German-made buses, 12 ferryboats, construction of super terminals and funding to improve passenger and cargo handling and delivery services.

In a span of five years, the new management registered prolific turnovers and drew successful flagship programs to make long-haul trips as convenient and hassle-free as possible. Last March, Philtranco bagged the Outstanding Service – Bus Line plum during the 19th National Consumers Excellence given by the Parangal ng Bayan Foundation. It’s in recognition of the firm’s excellence in providing top-notch goods and services to the public.

Three years ago, Philkargo took-off. The new concept makes for a speedy and secured vital luggage transporting cargo services. It has a capacity of two tons per bus, with a maximum transport of 352 tons daily.

Five years ago, Philtranco launched Biyaheng Pinoy to further drum up domestic travel. Last February 2003 they went on-line via Philtranco SMS (short messaging system) to update travelers of departure and arrival schedules.

In April 2003, Philtranco’s Central Station was spruced up with a passenger and baggage check-in system, a pre-departure area, fully air-conditioned waiting areas, food court, and very efficient 24-hour staff to assist passengers and maintain the safety and orderliness within the terminal.

Recently, Philtranco came up with Privilege Plus Card (PPC) program to provide discounts and special benefits to its cardholders. As its official publication, Philtranco released Onboard, the first-of-its-kind land transport industry journal.

Philtranco has the biggest and most comprehensive bus maintenance bases in the country. They can be found in Daet, Naga, Iriga, Tabaco, Legaspi, Sorsogon, Matnog, Bulan, Catbalogan, San Isidro, Allen, Goa, Tacloban, Liloan, Davao City and Cagayan de Oro.