ILOILO City – Western Visayas has sufficient jeepney units operating beginning Jan. 1.
This was assured by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Region 6 to the commuting public amid worries that come with the impending deadline on the consolidation of traditional public utility jeepneys (PUJs) on Dec. 31 under the government’s Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).
LTFRB-6 data as of Dec. 27, 2023, showed that of 8,534 total traditional jeepneys in the region, 5,596 units, or 66 percent, are already consolidated. Only 2,938 units, or 34 percent, are still unconsolidated.
Below is the breakdown of traditional PUJs per province and highly urbanized city, both consolidated and unconsolidated:
* Iloilo City – 2,266 traditional PUJs (1,692 are consolidated and 574 are unconsolidated)
* Bacolod City – 2,313 traditional PUJs (540 are consolidated and 1,773 are unconsolidated)
* Iloilo Province – 1,978 traditional PUJs (1,878 are consolidated and 100 are unconsolidated)
* Aklan – 472 traditional PUJs (414 are consolidated and 58 are unconsolidated)
* Capiz – 482 traditional PUJs (373 are consolidated and 109 are unconsolidated)
* Antique – 390 traditional PUJs (307 are consolidated and 83 are unconsolidated)
* Negros Occidental – 465 traditional PUJs (264 are consolidated and 201 are unconsolidated)
* Guimaras – 168 traditional PUJs (128 are consolidated and 40 are unconsolidated)
“Bastante kita, indi kita alarmed sa epekto sang cancellation sang provisional authority sang indi consolidated starting Jan. 1 nga maapektaran ang sufficiency sang salakyan,” said LTFRB-6 legal counsel and spokesperson Atty. Salvador Altura during a Panay News interview on Friday, Dec. 29.
On Dec. 22, LTFRB chairperson Teofilo Guadez III issued Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 2023-052 with the subject “Guidelines on the Implementation of the PUVMP after the Dec. 31, 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 Number of Authorized Units (NAU).
But Altura said here in the region, almost, if not all, routes have above 60 percent consolidated NAUs or consolidated Transport Services Entities (TSEs), which is why the above provision of the memorandum circular could not be applied.
“May pila ka bilog pero gagmay na sila nga ruta, mga ruta nga baw-ing, isa lang ka dyep ang naga-biyahe pero sa major routes wala na, tanan may consolidated TSE na kita. Sa amo na nga provision sang MC 052 syado ka limited ang application sina sa aton sa Region 6,” the LTFRB-6 officer said.
If it comes to the point where certain routes in the region have insufficient traditional jeepney units, Altura said the LTFRB-6 is willing to extend the routes of the consolidated TSEs to cater to passengers.
“That time kon makita namon nga kulang gid, ang pinakalapit da nga ruta nga consolidated i-extend lang namon ang ila biyahe to cater that route nga wala sang consolidated,” he added.
To cater to jeepney operators and drivers who want to apply for membership in a cooperative or corporation, Altura said LTFRB-6 will be open until Dec. 31.
“Amo na ang pagpalangga namon sang amon trabaho kag sa aton kautoran nga gusto pa mag-intra sa modernisasyon sang aton gobyerno,” he said.
Below are the provisions of MC No. 052.
For Routes With Consolidated TSEs
* Consolidated 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.
New/Developmental/Missionary Routes
With issued CPC
* Selected applicant-operators that met at least 50 percent of the required units for the route applied for and issued with the corresponding CPC shall continue to operate on their awarded routes subject to the issuance of an approved LPTRP.
Without Issued CPC
* For routes with Notice of Selection and PA issued to a qualified Applicant- Operator with pending application for CPC, the Applicant-Operator shall continue to operate on the awarded route by virtue of the PA and shall comply with the required number of available compliant units as provided under previous issuances by the Board.
Without notice of selection issued
* For routes without a Notice of Selection issued to any applicant-operator, the Board shall re-open the new/developmental/missionary route and cause the =reposting/re-publication of the route which shall include the route’s origin-destination, detailed route description, route distance, fare, vehicle denomination and classifications, number of units required, date/venue of submission of documents/qualification conference schedule and proceed with the selection process as provided under previous issuances by the Board./PN
