PRIVATE vehicles ferrying passengers in the Cordillera region were given stern warning by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) regional office.
Francis Almora, LTO regional director, said their office continuously conducted anti-colorum drive in the region amid the pandemic and impounded seven vehicles illegally ferrying passengers on July 6.
Almora said the apprehended vehicles include two vehicles transporting passengers from Bontoc to La Trinidad.
"What this people had been doing is to let the passengers alight somewhere in Tublay and then another motor vehicle transport them to La Trinidad, another vehicle will transport passengers from La Trinidad to Baguio. To prevent this, we had been conducting operation, apprehending operators for violation of Bayanihan Act and Land Transportation Code," Almora said.
The LTO also apprehended vehicles ferrying passengers to La Union, Pangasinan, Manila, Kalinga, and Apayao.
"We monitor those reported online. Once we monitor on social media, we verify and apprehend them. We also rely to the stakeholders report," the LTO-Cordillera official added in his visit to Benguet Capitol.
Almora said charges were filed for the colorum operations, mostly passenger vans.
According to the LTO official, passengers of these colorum vans are asked to pay P4,000 per head from Baguio to Manila. The drive of the vehicle will be in charge of securing their travel documents.
Almora reminded the public that private vehicles ferrying passengers without proper authority is considered as colorum.
But he said private vehicles that are transporting locally stranded individuals with coordination from the local government unit will not be apprehended.