The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is calling on local government units to prepare for the devolution of the regulation of public transport, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said Wednesday, January 31.
Lacson met with lawyer Ma. Josette Abellar, officer-in-charge of the Transportation Development Office of LTFRB Region 6, and Rochelle Mae Amar, Focal Person of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) on Tuesday, January 30.
The two officials briefed the Capitol executives on the latest LTFRB regulations, including the Local Public Transport Route Plan for the province.
"As a province, our scope is the national highway routes and those plying it. If there is a need for a franchise, the provincial government has a say in it. Within the city, the LGUs will have scope over it if they allow new routes," the governor pointed out.
He added that LGUs have to approve it before jeepneys can consolidate.
Asked about the Ceres Bus Lines owned and operated by the Yanson family, Lacson said, "If it’s a new route applied for, we need to study if there's a need to open the route."
"The implementation is not immediate. It will take 20 months before it's totally devolved to the LGUs," he said.
Lacson said the LTFRB will conduct a briefing with mayors in the province on how the devolution will be implemented.*