BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA and MAE SINGUAY
BACOLOD City – The Land Transportation Office (LTO) in this city denied reports that the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) ordered the apprehension of public utility jeepneys (PUJs) that have not renewed their franchises.
LTO-Bacolod chief Renato Novero said it was the city government that issued the announcement on Sunday, Nov. 6, that the LTFRB, LTO and the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO) would apprehend unregistered PUJs.
Novero, meanwhile, admitted that LTO is becoming stricter when it comes to apprehending PUJs with no franchises as it is a violation of the law.
Hundreds of PUJ operators in Bacolod City, mostly those using the older units, stopped operating yesterday morning due to fears they may face massive fines if they are apprehended.
Aside from the fines, PUJ operators are also concerned that their units may be impounded, and the apprehended driver’s license may also be suspended for at least one year.
On the other hand, the city’s acting mayor, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, said transportation operations in the city were still “normal” despite some PUJs stopped plying their respective routes.
“Wala man paralysis sang byahe bangud nga may mga modernized jeepneys, tricycles and trisikads man nga nagabyahe,” said Familiaran, who was designated by Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez to assume his post from Nov. 4 to 7 due to his travel in Japan.
For his part, Diego Malacad, secretary general of the United Drivers and Operators Center (Undoc), earlier said more than 90 percent of the public utility vehicles plying in this city have no franchises and failed to renew their registration because of the modernization program of the national government being implemented by the Department of Transportation through Department Order 2017-011.
Under the PUJ Modernization Program, units that are at least 15 years old can no longer be registered or operated, Malacad added.
According to the order, all jeepney engines should at least be Euro-4 compliant engine or LPG-powered, electronic, and hybrid. It has also been proposed that each jeepney should have modern features such as a global positioning system (GPS), an automated fare collection system, and a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera.
Familiaran also said that business was as usual in all government and private offices yesterday, and there was no suspension of classes in public schools.
He cited that there were some passengers who were stranded only because there were no modernized jeepneys in their areas, like in barangays Mansilingan, Banago and Taculing.
The city government has provided buses to ferry stranded passengers, he said./PN
