Colorum problem as grave as illegal drugs – DOTr

Describing the problem with colorum vehicles “as grave as the illegal drug trade in the country,” the Department of Transportation (DOTr) launched on Wednesday an interagency task force that will implement an intensified crackdown on all colorum vehicles nationwide.

Undersecretary for Road Transport Tim Orbos said “Task

Force Kamao” which will be headed by Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board chairman Martin Delgra III, was created to eliminate all colorum public utility vehicles on the road and apprehend their operators.

“We have come together in an interagency collaboration to address this menace that has been there for quite sometime and even until now nandyan pa rin,” Delgra III said.

The LTFRB and the Land Transportation Office, headed by Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante, being the law enforcement agencies for transportation, are the lead agencies of Task Force Kamao which also aims to promote safe and convenient PUVs by getting rid of unregistered vehicles.

“Our problem with colorum [vehicles] is really grave. It is like drugs. It is deep, we do not know where the limits are, and we do not know where to go. What we need to do is to consolidate our forces,”Orbos said.

He explained that similar to the drug problems, people are getting killed due to “serious adverse consequences of this nefarious practice.”

“The riding public is helpless. With drugs, people are only killing themselves while with colorum, the lives of the commuters are at risk,” Orbos explained.

Aside from the LTO and LTFRB, other key officials in the task force are Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Danilo Lim and PNPHighway Patrol Group Director Chief Supt. Arnel Escobal.

Various government agencies have also pledged their hundred percent support and cooperation to the task force and its anti-colorum drive including the Department of National Defense, National Telecommunications Commission, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

“To all the colorum vehicles, watch out and get ready, we already have a lot of authorities to track you down, our big brothers are now here,” LTFRB member lawyer Aileen Lizada said.

“Those behind colorum vehicles, active or non-active officers, stop it already. We will be out to get you,” she warned.

On the part of the PNP-HPG, Escobal said that his officers will be conducting simultaneous 24-hour anti-colorum operations as instructed by PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa.

Escobal added that at least 1,000 personnel from PNP-HPG will be deployed nationwide to monitor colorum operations, adding that they already have a list of some giant bus companies with units operating without a Certificate of Public Convenience.

As a large number of colorum vehicles is expected to be apprehended through the collaboration of intelligence and other law enforcement agencies, Delgra said that they are able to acquire a lot in Magalang, Pampanga, which will be turned into an impounding area for Metro Manila and Central Luzon.

Delgra added that they are now in the process of procuring impounding areas around the regions covering at least eight regional offices.

The LTFRB chief also appealed to other offices with wide empty lots to allow them to use these as temporary impounding areas for seized colorum vehicles.

To avoid inconveniencing the riding public during the anti-colorum operations, MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia said they are coordinating with local government units in offering free rides.

To date, the Inter-Agency Council on Traffic (i-ACT) has already apprehended more than 450 colorum PUVs.

Through the launching of the new task force, the DOTr expects the number of apprehensions to increase and appealed to the public to support the campaign and to cooperate as they start removing from the streets unsafe and unaccounted means of public transport.

Task Force Kamao has been activated starting this Holy Week.