PNP: No mercy for cops involved in ‘colorum’ ops

MANILA — Cops who are involved in colorum or unregistered vehicles will have to undergo a lifestyle check.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Rommel Francisco Marbil said he has directed the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) to intensify monitoring of cops’ activities, as he vowed zero tolerance for police officers involved in illegal operations.

“Kung talagang may ganyan, we have IMEG to check the lifestyle of the police,” Marbil said on the sidelines of the signing of the memorandum of agreement among the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority for the creation of a task force against colorum public utility vehicles.

Cops found engaging in illegal activities face suspension and dismissal from service, aside from administrative and criminal charges.

DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos, Jr. said they are also checking the involvement of other officials in colorum operations but can’t go into details yet.

Joint Administrative Order No. 2014-01 of the defunct Department of Transportation and Communications, Land Transportation Office and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board sets fines and penalties for violations of policies governing land transportation.

For the first offense, buses shall be fined P1 million; vans and trucks, P200,000; sedan,

P120,000; and jeepneys, P50,000.

Second offense shall correspond to the revocation of the Certificate of Public Convenience, disqualification of the operator, blacklisting of all authorized units of the operator and revocation of the registration of all authorized units of the operator.

In accordance with the order of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Abalos said colorum vehicles must be wiped out from the streets as these contribute to traffic congestion.

In Memorandum Circular 2024-26, the DILG chief directed local government units to pass ordinances banning operators of colorum vehicles from using transport terminals within their jurisdictions.