TRANSPORT groups in Bacolod will hold a meeting with the city officials today, November 8, to address their woes with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in Western Visayas.
This, after several traditional public utility jeepneys (PUJs) in Bacolod City decided not to ply their routes yesterday following the operation of the LTO and LTFRB against them, especially those without franchises or with incomplete documents in various areas in the city.
Acting Mayor El Cid Familiaran said yesterday that the city government deployed at least three buses and two vehicles of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) to ferry the stranded passengers in various barangays, especially in the areas with no modernized jeepneys.
“The move of the traditional PUJ drivers did not affect the operation of the city government, private offices as well as the classes in public schools,” he said.
Despite the lack of PUJs, he added, the stranded passengers were also accommodated by the modernized jeepneys, taxis, tricycles and pedicabs.
Familiaran noted that only the traditional PUJs without franchises or with incomplete documents stopped their operations.
“Those PUJs with complete documents were also operating so it’s not a transport strike,” Familiaran clarified.
He said the transport group leaders already sought the assistance of Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez to air their concern and problems, adding that the city council is also willing to accommodate the needs of the transport groups.
For his part, Diego Malacad, secretary general of United Negros Drivers and Operators Center (Undoc), said most of their members and that of Sentrong Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Negros (SSTONE), and Federation of Bacolod Drivers Association (Febacda) stopped their operations yesterday to avoid penalties from the LTO and LTFRB.
He said some of their members with incomplete documents were penalized and fined by the LTO.
“We will not operate as long as they (personnel of LTO and LTFRB) are there in streets,” he added.
Malacad noted that Benitez earlier showed his support to the transport groups and promised to assist them.
“Based on the board resolution of the LTFRB, we (traditional PUJs) have two years extension because the national government doesn’t have enough money to finance the modernized jeepney... we are allowed to operate until March 2025,” Malacad said.
Meanwhile, Renato Novero, head of LTO-Bacolod, said it’s their usual operation to check the documents of the PUJ drivers, but now it includes the business permit, driver’s license, car registration, insurance, among others.
He said they also trained the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO) personnel so they will be deputized here to apprehend the erring drivers.
He added they impounded one PUJ vehicle for lack of documents and its driver was also penalized.
Novero urged all the drivers, both public and private vehicles, to always check their documents to avoid penalties.
Major Junji Liba, head of Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO), also said about 60 colorum or unregistered tricycles were seized in various barangays in the city yesterday.
Aside from colorum tricycles, Liba said, BTAO also impounded pedicabs and electric bikes (e-bike) plying along the national highways.
“We have stranded passengers so the tricycles and pedicabs also took advantage of the situation, however, most of them were operating without permits and plying along the national highways,” he said.
He added the drivers were penalized and their units were impounded at the BTAO compound.
Liba said that they will continue to assist the LTO and LTFRB to penalize the erring drivers.*