Paid toilet operator told to review contract with Capitol

Local

CEBU Gov. Pamela Baricuatro has given Mister Loo Philippines (MLP), the private operator of paid comfort rooms at the Cebu South and North Bus Terminals, two to three days to review its contract with the provincial government.

This as Capitol weighs terminating the agreement due to concerns about minimal government revenue and the paid use of what are supposed to be public facilities.

The review follows Executive Order No. 12, which mandates the free use of regular comfort rooms in all provincial terminals, citing Republic Act No. 11311 that prohibits the collection of fees for such facilities.

However, the order does not cover Mister Loo’s operations, which are governed by a five-year contract signed on December 21, 2023 and valid until 2028, with a renewal option.

Under the current agreement, Mister Loo charges P10 for standard restroom use and P20 for access to air-conditioned or upgraded premium facilities.

The province receives five percent of the company’s gross revenue.

Baricuatro noted that this share is not advantageous to the government and emphasized that the contract contains a clause that allows early termination.

She said the Capitol is giving MLP a chance to propose revised terms but warned that they are ready to end the agreement if no acceptable changes are presented.

“If at some point dili acceptable nila, we are in favor of terminating the contract,” Baricuatro said.

Provincial Administrator Joseph Felix Mari “Ace” Durano revealed that Mister Loo earns an estimated P33,000 per day from its Cebu South Bus Terminal operations and collected around P7 million in 2023 alone.

Based on these figures, the provincial government earns just over P1,600 a month, prompting questions about whether charging passengers is even necessary for a public facility.

Durano said the contract was inherited from the previous administration and contains provisions that allow for termination.

During a recent inspection, Capitol officials also found that Mister Loo operates three comfort rooms inside the Cebu South Bus Terminal.

Mister Loo has argued that its low remittance share is due to substantial investments made in its facilities.

The company earlier maintained that “contractually obligated fees cannot be arbitrarily stopped.”

A Capitol report covering January to June 2025 showed that Mister Loo collected P198,115.16 from the South Terminal and P114,616 from the North Terminal.

The contract prohibits any fee increases throughout its duration.

Baricuatro assured that businesses operating legitimately have nothing to worry about.

“Kung tinarong nga negosyo, there’s no reason nganong i-terminate ang kontrata og naprotektahan ang rights sa mga taga-probinsiya sa Sugbo,” she said.

Meanwhile, Capitol is forming a task force to address operational concerns at the two provincial terminals.

The move follows complaints raised during a stakeholders’ meeting on July 16, where bus operators aired frustrations over unsanitary restrooms, poor ventilation, slow ticketing, and alleged favoritism in digital ticketing managed by Topline Inc.

The governor said the ticketing system, although well-intentioned, was not implemented in the right setting due to infrastructure limitations.

She stressed that the problems stemmed from decisions made under the previous administration and called on all stakeholders to focus on solutions rather than assigning blame.

The task force, composed of terminal administrators, provincial officials, bus operators, and Topline representatives, is expected to propose both immediate and long-term reforms.

Capitol also confirmed it is actively working on comfort room renovations and reviewing other terminal contracts, including the Cebu North Bus Terminal’s partnership with SM, which is up for a one-year extension.(MyTVCebu)