ILOILO City – Beginning Feb. 1, 2,756 unconsolidated traditional public utility jeepneys (PUJs) in Western Visayas would have to cease operating, according to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Region 6.
Latest LTFRB-6 data showed that of the 8,534 traditional PUJs in the region, 5,778 or 68 percent are consolidated; 2,756 units (32 percent) are not.
Atty. Salvador Altura, legal counsel and spokesperson for LTFRB-6, said some of the unconsolidated units have been allowed to operate until Jan. 31 in select routes or areas with less than 60 percent consolidated number of authorized units (NAUs) or in route/s with no consolidated jeepneys.
However, come Feb. 1 all unconsolidated jeepneys would have to stop operating as public utility vehicles.
“Indi sila phased out. Indi lang sila ka biyahe as PUJ. Ang ila option is to convert to private use para magsige biyahe,” Altura told Panay News.
Here is the breakdown of the consolidated and unconsolidated units per province and highly urbanized cities in the region:
* Iloilo City – 2,266 units (1,692 consolidated and 574 unconsolidated units)
* Bacolod City – 2,313 units (566 consolidated and 1,747 unconsolidated units)
* Iloilo Province – 1,978 units (1,911 consolidated and 67 unconsolidated units)
* Aklan – 472 units (419 consolidated and 53 unconsolidated units)
* Capiz – 482 units (395 consolidated and 87 unconsolidated units)
* Antique – 390 units (361 consolidated and 29 unconsolidated units)
* Negros Occidental – 465 units (276 consolidated and 189 unconsolidated units)
* Guimaras – 168 units (158 consolidated and 10 unconsolidated units)
On Dec. 22, 2023, LTFRB chairperson Teofilo Guadez III issued Memorandum Circular Number 2023-052 with the subject, “Guidelines on the Implementation of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) after 31 December 2023 Deadline for Filing the Application for Consolidation.”
Under this memorandum circular, individual traditional jeepneys are allowed to operate on routes with less than 60 percent of the consolidated NAU.
Below are the provisions of MC No. 052.
For Routes With Consolidated TSEs
* Consolidated Transport Service Entities (TSEs) shall retain franchise privileges on the routes they are currently plying or rationalized routes (i.e. existing routes modified by the approved LPTRP) and shall continue to operate under their existing Provisional Authority (PA) until December 2024 or upon the issuance of a Certificate of Public Convenience (CPC) whichever comes first, pursuant to MC No.2023-051.
* CPCs issued to consolidated TSEs with brand-new, OFG-compliant units, regardless of number, shall have a validity of seven years. Thus, MC No. 2020-044 is hereby modified. CPCs issued to consolidated TSEs without brand- new, OFG-compliant units shall have a validity of five years.
* All unconsolidated individual operators who failed to file application for consolidation prior to 31 December 2023 shall no longer be allowed to organize into a juridical entity or join existing consolidated TSEs.
* Should there be a need for additional units on an existing route as a result of LPTRP, the consolidated TSE shall be given priority to increase their authorized units to meet the demand. If the consolidated TSE fails to meet said additional demand in their given route after the prescribed period, other consolidated TSEs may be entertained.
* Should there be a decrease in units on an existing route as a result of LPTRP, the consolidated operator shall file a petition assigning its excess units to the nearest adjacent route covered under the consolidated operator’s area of operation or retained rationalized routes without consolidated entities.
* All intra-cooperative disputes arising from terms and conditions of membership, management, internal policies and all issues between consolidated TSES and/or their members shall be subject to the regulatory and supervisorial powers of the Office of Transport Cooperatives (OTC).
For Routes With No Approved LPTRP
With 60% and above consolidated NAU
* If the number of consolidated units in the route is above 60 percent of the NAU, the consolidated TSES shall continue to operate under their existing PAs until Dec. 31, 2024 or upon the issuance of a CPC whichever comes first, pursuant to MC No. 2023-051.
* The PA of the remaining unconsolidated individual operators are deemed revoked pursuant to MC 2023-051 and shall no longer be allowed to operate. Further, all unconsolidated individual operators who failed to file application for consolidation prior to Dec. 31, 2023 shall no longer be allowed to organize into a juridical entity or join existing consolidated TSES.
With less than 60 percent consolidated NAU
* If the number of consolidated units in the route is less than 60 percent of the NAU, the consolidated TSEs shall continue to operate under their existing PAs until Dec. 31, 2024 or upon the issuance of a CPC whichever comes first pursuant to MC No. 2023-051.
* The Board shall issue a list of all routes with less than 60 percent consolidated NAU.
* Unconsolidated individual operators in routes with less than 60 percent consolidated NAU shall be allowed to operate until Jan. 31, 2024.
* During this period, Show Cause Orders (SCO) shall be issued by the Board and its Regional Franchising Regulatory Offices (RFROS) to the unconsolidated individual operators in compliance with the provisions of the Public Service Act.
* All unconsolidated individual operators who failed to file application for consolidation prior to Dec. 31, 2023 shall no longer be allowed to organize into a juridical entity or join existing consolidated TSEs.
For Routes With No Consolidated TSES
* In order not to hamper the operation of public transportation routes without consolidated TSE, the individual operators in said routes shall be allowed to operate until Jan. 31, 2024.
* During this period, SCO shall be issued by the Board and its RFROS to the unconsolidated individual operators in compliance with the provisions of the Public Service Act.
* The Board may issue Special Permits to operate on routes without consolidated TSE which shall be valid for three months after Jan. 31, 2024 to other consolidated TSES.
* In no case shall the consolidated TSEs that elect to operate on routes without consolidated TSE reduce its operation to more than 60 percent of its NAU on its original route.
* A Selection Process, subject to subsequent issuance shall be conducted thereafter to determine the operators who will operate on this/these route/s./PN