ILOILO City – The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Region 6 has emphasized the importance of safety and comfort for public utility vehicle (PUV) passengers following Tuesday’s tragic accident involving a bus in Barangay Igbucagay, Hamtic, Antique.
It issued the cautionary advisory to public transport drivers, citing an expected increase in passenger traffic this holiday season.
The bus carrying 28 passengers plunged off a cliff along the national highway around 4:30 p.m. Seventeen died (not 25 as previously reported).
“Dapat aware ang aton operators, upod na da ang mga personnel nila nga gina-hire, kung ano bala ang ila obligasyon as public utility operators. So, ara na dira ang terms and conditions safranchise, i-observe lang nila sang husto, damo na da sang limitations, especially now nga Christmas season. Ang influx sang passengers is normally increasing, so dapat ang caution should be higher,” LTFRB-6 legal counsel and spokesperson, Atty. Salvador Altura, said in a Panay News interview on Wednesday morning.
LTFRB-6 officials are set to have a meeting on how to improve public transport services and discuss measures on how to avoid the same incident from happening again.
They are eyeing random inspections at terminals and national highways to check the seating capacity, condition and road worthiness, among others, of PUVs, with the expected influx of passengers who will go home in provinces to spend the holidays with their families.
Altura, however, said LTFRB and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) Region 6 have determined that most, if not all vehicles, operating on the road in the region are roadworthy.
He explained that every year the LTO requires the renewal of the registration of vehicles.
“They annually renew sang rehistro and part sang renewal is the motor vehicle inspection report. So amo na ang naga-ascertain kon bala roadworthy pa sila or indi,” said Altura.
LTO assistant secretary Vigor Mendoza recently said that the LTO is taking steps to strengthen the motor vehicle inspection systems in preparation for the government’s plan to modernize PUVs next year.
As part of the government’s modernization plan, vehicles will be required to undergo and pass a roadworthiness test at motor vehicle testing centers in order to be registered or renew their registration with the LTO.
The LTO acknowledges that they still need to upgrade the machines and equipment at the inspection centers to meet the standards set by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for determining roadworthiness.
LTO officials will be meeting with private inspection centers to discuss the stricter vehicle checks that will be implemented next year.
The LTO plans to include inspections of other important safety and comfort features, such as the speedometer, engine oil, and seats, in next year’s testing centers. Currently, some motor vehicle testing centers only conduct visual inspections and emission tests.
“Ang papel ng LTO dito, whether you are traditional or modern, kailangan roadworthy kayo pareho. For the longest time… the issue of roadworthiness has been the key issue among public transport operators, leaders, kaya high time to implement this,” Mendoza said.
He added: “Gone are the days na punit-punit ang kutson ng sasakyan, butas na ang sasakyan umaandar pa rin.”
Mendoza also emphasized that failing the roadworthiness test doesn’t mean the end for operators, as there are ways to fix the issues and comply with the standards. He understands the cost factors and the desire to escape compliance, but he believes it’s time to change that mindset.
To simplify the motor vehicle inspection, he plans to streamline the steps and incorporate it into the existing online portal. (With a report from ABS-CBN News)/PN
