Watchmen Daily Journal

UNCONSOLID­ATED PUV FRANCHISES TO BE REVOKED AFTER APRIL 30: DOTR

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MANILA — Unconsolid­ated operators and drivers will be notified that their franchises are revoked “a week or two” after the April 30 consolidat­ion deadline, a Department of Transporta­tion (DOTr) official said yesterday.

“Bibigyan naman ng due process ng LTFRB [Land Transporta­tion Franchisin­g and Regulatory Board],” DOTr Undersecre­tary Ferdinand Ortega told Unang Balita in an interview when asked if unconsolid­ated public utility vehicles (PUVs) will be apprehende­d starting today, the day after the deadline.

“Bibigyan pa ‘yan ng show cause, sasagot pa sila,” he added.

“So it will take a few days, maybe a week or two, para sila ay finally masasabiha­n o mabibigyan ng informatio­n na sila ay wala nang prangkisa at sila ay hindi na pwede pumasada.”

In a Balitangha­li interview yesterday, LTFRB chairman Teofilo Guadiz III said that unconsolid­ated PUVs would be provided an opportunit­y to explain why they were unable to comply with the government deadline.

“Technicall­y, colorum na sila, but as a process by the law, pagpapaliw­anagin muna namin sila. After one week po, magpapalab­as na rin kami ng utos na ‘yung mga hindi nakapagpal­iwanag or hindi katanggap-tanggap ang paliwanag ay pwede na po naming hulihin ‘yan … Ang penalty po niyan ay oneyear suspension sa driver, at P50,000 ang multa naman doon sa sasakyang maiimpound po namin,” he said.

Ortega urged unconsolid­ated operators and drivers not to persist in operating despite their lack of franchise.

Rescue routes

As of Sunday, April 28, the LTFRB said that 78.33 percent or 150,179 units have consolidat­ed. There is also a 73.71 percent route consolidat­ion as of April 23.

“‘Yung mga areas na nakikita namin na baka po magkaprobl­ema ay inimbitaha­n na ho namin ‘yung mga jeepney operators ng adjusted route o ‘yung tinatawag naming rescue route na if they have excess jeepneys. They can travel [along] those routes using special permit issued by LTFRB,” said Guadiz.

Ortega earlier said that in Metro Manila, around 59 percent of operators and drivers have already consolidat­ed into cooperativ­es in compliance with the government’s PUV Modernizat­ion Program (PUVMP).

Final deadline

According to Ortega, the DOTr remains firm that the consolidat­ion of PUVs will close yesterday and that there will be no more extensions.

Started in 2017, the PUVMP aims to replace jeepneys with vehicles that have at least a Euro 4-compliant engine to lessen pollution. It also aims to replace units that are not deemed roadworthy by the Land Transporta­tion Office’s standards.

A modern jeepney unit costs over P2 million, an amount that even staterun banks said was too expensive for PUV drivers and operators.

On Monday, April 29, transport groups went on a three-day strike, filed a supplement­al petition and again asked the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restrainin­g order against the PUVMP.

On the second day of the transport strike on Tuesday, the protesting drivers once again gathered at Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila. They intend to stage their protest until evening. Integrated News)

 ?? News photo) (Mark Demayo / ABS-CBN ?? Jeepney drivers and operators camp at Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila on the first day of the threeday transport strike on Monday, April 29, 2024, against the deadline for consolidat­ion of jeepney franchises under the Public Utility Vehicle Modernizat­ion Program.
News photo) (Mark Demayo / ABS-CBN Jeepney drivers and operators camp at Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila on the first day of the threeday transport strike on Monday, April 29, 2024, against the deadline for consolidat­ion of jeepney franchises under the Public Utility Vehicle Modernizat­ion Program.

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