BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is undergoing several changes and shakeups involving the reassignment and appointment of new officials amid controversies in the implementation of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).
Department of Transportation (DOTr) secretary Jaime Bautista issued Special Order No. 2024-077 on the new assignments of the LTFRB regional directors, including Richard Osmeña, the LTFRB-6 director.
Osmeña started reporting to the Office of the Chairman in the LTFRB central office effective March 11. He was replaced by lawyer Salvador Altura Jr., the designated officer-in-charge (OIC) of LTFRB-6.
Altura, a former municipal councilor and administrator of Alimodian town, served as LTFRB-6 legal officer.
“They shall ensure proper turnover of official records and documents of their current assignments, and perform and discharge all the functions and responsibility on their respective new assignment,” said Bautista in his order on March 8.
The DOTr secretary stressed the reassignment and the designation of OICs shall be effective starting March 11 for one year, under the Civil Service Commission Omnibus Rule on Appointment, unless amended, revoked, or superseded.
In compliance to Bautista’s order, LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz issued an office order to all concerned regional directors on their reassignments as well as the designation of officers-in-charge.
The LTFRB’s PUVMP has faced backlash from various transport and cause-oriented groups since its inception in June 2018
Critics argue that the program, which aims to phase out old jeepneys and replace them with newer, safer, and more environmentally friendly vehicles, is too costly for drivers and operators, leading to concerns about livelihoods and affordability.
Opponents also argue that the program does not consider the financial capacity of jeepney operators and drivers, many of whom are small operators with limited resources. There have been protests and calls for the government to reconsider or modify the program to address these concerns.
They decried the program as “anti-poor,” arguing that the new jeepney unit would cost them roughly P2.4 million per unit.
They also lamented that only multi-million peso companies can afford to buy the new “fleet management system” that sets a minimum of 15 units per franchise.
The transport leaders also claimed that some components of the program are disadvantageous to the transport cooperatives such as forcing the cooperative to avail of the modern units.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. caved into public clamor to extend the consolidation period for another three months until April 30, 2024.
The extension is supposed to accommodate individual operators to either join or form their transport cooperatives to achieve one of the components of the program./PN
