DESPITE the already issued Department of Transportation (DOTr) guidelines on social distancing and community quarantine, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-Davao Region (LTFRB-Davao) continues to apprehend public utility vehicles (PUV) drivers not following the prescribed two-meter passenger distance.
LTFRB-Davao director Armand Dioso on Wednesday, March 18, said DOTr already issued the mandate on March 14 to all land-franchised vehicles such as buses, jeeps, UV express vans, and taxis to observe the Department of Health’s (DOH) mandate of social distancing, by limiting the number of passengers.
Under the DOTr-issued guidelines, taxis should only accept a maximum of four passengers, one seat apart, while UV express vans are only allowed to accept six passengers, including the driver. Old jeepneys and modern POVs are only allowed to cater half of the vehicles sitting capacity. Buses, meanwhile, are only allowed to cater a maximum 25 passengers, including the driver and conductor, with no standing passengers. All vehicles should impose a one-seat apart distance.
Dioso, however, said drivers and operators continue to disregard the abovementioned orders.
During a recent inspection, the official said LTFRB apprehended two jeeps in Lasang for overloading or more than the allowable original seating capacity mandated by the agency.
He also said they also apprehended vans that were not only overloaded but also colorum.
Dioso said drivers who could continue to defy the distancing policy will be considered a breach of franchise, which penalizes the violator with P P5,000 on first offense and P10,000 penalty for the second offense, and franchise suspension.
“Kinahanglan nato protektahan ang safety sa atong pasahero, maong ginapatuman nato kini (We are imposing this for the protection and safety of our passengers),” the official said in a phone interview.
He also urged passengers to also avoid riding these congested PUVs.
“On the part of the passenger, dili na sila mamugos og sakay. Cooperate lang kita sa mando sa gobyerno (Passengers should no longer insisit on riding congested vehicles. Let’s cooperate in the mandate of the government),” Dioso said.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, in a previous radio interview, said she admitted that social distancing is impossible to be implemented in riding public mass transporations.
Hence, she encouraged them to wear face masks while riding in these public vehicles.
The mayor had previously placed the entire Davao City under community quarantine, thus, the public are prohibited from going around the city.
She did not suspend any mass transportation as she said it would possibly paralyze the city’s operation.
However, she discouraged the public from making unnecessary travels or errands.
Transmission-Piston (Piston) secretary general and Dabawenyo Kontra Jeepney Phaseout Coalition member Larry Arguelles, in a text message, said they are supporting the move of the government.
Arguelles also thanked the local government for not suspending the mass transportation in the city amid the Covid-19 threat, as they are struggling in providing food for their families.
They are also struggling to find money to buy vitamins, alcohol and sanitizers, and availing health services.