Enough of taxi franchises, Baguio tells LTFRB

BAGUIO CITY — The provincial legal office here is asking the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to reconsider renewing or granting franchises of taxi units.

Baguio City legal officer Richard Dayag said there were neither consultations nor actual studies prior to the issuance of LTFRB Memorandum Circular 2019-016 that determined the necessity of augmenting the number of units in

Baguio and La Trinidad, Benguet.

The City Transportation and Traffic Management Division found no statistical data, published or unpublished, about a gap between the existing number of taxi units and actual demand, he added.

The LTFRB memorandum circular issued last year was geared to grant 200 additional taxi franchises in Baguio City and La Trinidad to replace “expired and abandoned franchises.”

In October 2020, the Baguio City Council opposed the circular, saying it will only worsen traffic problems.

The council said the current 3,220 active taxi franchises are sufficient to cater to the needs of the riding public. Mayor Benjamin Magalong Jr. supported the council.

Assuming that there was a demand from the riding public for additional units, Dayag said it’s still a fact that Baguio’s roads have reached the carrying capacity and they have studies to prove it.

“Priority of consideration should be given to the findings and determination of the local government unit,” he said, urging LTFRB to recall the memorandum.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF TACLOBAN PIO VETERINARY office checkpoint personnel recently intercepted 140 kilos of pork without permits as Tacloban City fights the ASF outbreak.