TABUK CITY, Kalinga Two city officials are at the
verge of losing hope that the operators of unfranchised or colurom
jeepneys which consist about 80 percent of the whole public utility
jeepneys (PUJs) operating here will ever legalize their operation.
Councilor Martinez Vicente and City Administrator Laurence Bayongan believe that the operators are just making an alibi of the moratorium on the issuance of franchises issued by the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
Bayongan said that while it was true that there was a moratorium on the issuance of franchises, this was rememdied in 2008 when the LTFRB approved majority of the 19 developmental routes recommended by the LGU but they did not take advantage of the opening.
Bayongan said that in 2009, the LTFRB-CAR offered the Colurom Legalization Program but the jeepney owners neither availed of the program.
Bayongan said that the Aquino Administration has subjected the approval of the developmental route to validation but, according to him, the decision remains valid until revoked.
The PUJ owners are just using the moratorium as an alibi. They are not taking advantage of the opening of routes, Bayongan said.
It seems to me that since they have been so used operating illegally during the time of the moratorium, their thinking now that the routes are opened for application is that anyway, they can get away with it, said Councilor Martinez Vicente, Sangguniang Panlungsod committee on transportation chairman.
He added that when he asks the owners of jeepneys to register, they keep telling him that they are already working on it but he suspects that they are not.
Vicente noted that the concerned government agencies are not helping the siutation.
During a meeting among the provincial government, the city government, the Land Transportation Office and the police last October, there was an agreement that the LTO and the police will go after illegal PUJs but they are not doing their tasks, Vicente said.
Vicente, however, admits that strict enforcement of laws will result in the cripping of publi transportation in the city as he guesses that 80 percent of the PUJs are not registered with the LTFRB.
He called on the owners of the PUJs to secure franchises for their own sake because if they get into accidents without franchises, that will compound their problems.
It is also for the protection of the riding public, Vicente said.
Both officials believe that stricter implementation of laws is
now the only remaining option to make the jeepney sector operate
legally. BY: ESTANISLAO ALBANO JR.
