ILOILO City – The Western Visayas Alliance of Transport Cooperatives and Corporations, Inc. (WVATCCI) has warned that the continued operation of unconsolidated jeepneys operating as “colorum” is jeopardizing its member-cooperatives and corporations.
This situation is potentially resulting in losses and the cooperatives’ inability to repay loans taken to purchase minibuses, said Halley Alcarde, general manager of the Western Visayas Transport Cooperative (WVTC) which is a member of WVATCCI.
Furthermore, he said, the competition from unconsolidated and unregistered traditional jeepneys jeopardizes the jobs of approximately 2,600 transport cooperative employees, potentially affecting around 15,600 individuals considering each employee supports an average of six family members.
Rizalito Alido, president of WVATCCI, noted that the income per minibus has dropped from an average of P7,000 per day to P3,000 to P4,000, largely due to the ongoing operations of unconsolidated and unregistered traditional jeepneys, especially during evenings.
Data from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Region 6 showed about 4,000 jeepneys in the region that are unconsolidated, lacking Certificates of Public Convenience (CPC) or Provisional Authorities (PA), and are not permitted to operate on the roads as they are considered “colorum”.
Following President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s affirmation of the continuation of the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP), originally known as the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP), LTFRB-6 is awaiting a directive from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) regarding the strict enforcement against unconsolidated jeepneys operating as “colorum”.
According to Regional Director Richard Osmeña, DOTr under Secretary Jaime Bautista is expected to issue a new directive this week on monitoring operations.
“When it comes to enforcement, it will have to be the LTO (Land Transportation Office), but we are still awaiting DOTr’s pronouncement,” Osmeña told Panay News.
Alcarde confirmed during a meeting with Secretary Bautista in Metro Manila on August 7, that the official assured the implementation of stringent measures against colorum vehicles.
“We are waiting for the order from the DOTr to be cascaded down to LTFRB and LTO regional offices,” said Alcarde.
On June 14, 2024, WVATCCI) organized a caravan in Iloilo City to urge the LTO and LTFRB to apprehend unconsolidated and unregistered traditional jeepneys with expired CPCs or Pas but still operating.
Currently, out of 1,782 units awarded to WVATCCI in Iloilo City, 520 minibuses are in operation./PN
