EDUARDO Montealto Jr., chief of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) 7, has been relieved of duty as of Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025.
Further details regarding the official cause of the relief or the designated successor have yet to be released by the agency as of press time.
Montealto’s stint as LTFRB 7 chief has been marred by controversies. In 2023, tensions between public utility vehicle (PUV) operators and the LTFRB 7 came to the forefront when members of the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) Cebu demanded Montealto’s resignation.
Piston Cebu president Greg Perez told SunStar Cebu back then that the protest stemmed from what the group saw as Montealto’s failure to address the challenges faced by PUV drivers and operators in the region. They also criticized him for allegedly showing favoritism toward certain corporations and transport groups.
Perez had said over 500 members, including fellow operators and drivers, had signed a petition calling for Montealto’s resignation.
He highlighted ongoing difficulties faced by traditional jeepney operators in conducting transactions at the LTFRB 7 office, contrasting it with the agency’s more favorable treatment of modern PUVs and buses.
Perez claimed Montealto’s preference for issuing “provisional authority” and “special permits” to modern vehicles began at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. This, according to Piston-Cebu, contributed to a shortage of PUVs on the streets, leaving commuters stranded during rush hours.
SunStar Cebu made several attempts to reach Montealto by phone, but he had not responded as of press time. / DPC