Wednesday, October 18, 2006 Colorum jeeps to be legalized By Katherine Villalon Cinco
THE Land Transportation and Regulatory Franchising Board (LTFRB) recently issued a memorandum circular intended to legalize passenger jeepneys operating without or with a fake franchise.
The move was met with opposition, mainly because it is "unfair to jeepneys that have existing franchises."
LTFRB Regional Director Profirio Clavel, however, defended the memorandum Tuesday, saying it was an "opportunity for colorum jeepneys to put their operations in order and to be legalized."
He also said that with legalization, the drivers and the operators would be protected.
Clavel said there are two kinds of jeepneys under the colorum concept: those without a franchise or those whose franchise is forged.
Clavel said that for a long time, there had been a moratorium on applications for franchises. "We cannot accept new applications but these jeepneys want to enter the transportation business. So, they end up not having franchises and sneak into the city and ply their routes for a fee."
He assured that there are conditions that have to be complied with before a colorum jeepney can be legalized.
"They will need to pay for the legalization fee in the amount of P10,000 and they can pay this on installment basis. They also need to submit an affidavit admitting that their operation is illegal. There are more requirements," he said.
Clavel said that if ever the jeepneys do not register their operations, they would be impounded.
He clarified that the taxi service is not included in the memorandum.
He also denied that this is a moneymaking project of the LTFRB, rather "it's our proactive stance" in solving the problem of colorum.
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