DRIVERS in Bacolod City are calling for the ouster of Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)-Western Visayas head Richard Osmeña due to his alleged ineffectiveness.
Diego Malacad, secretary-general of United Negros Drivers and Operators Center (Undoc), assailed Osmeña for not acting on the plight of the drivers.
Malacad said the LTFRB-Western Visayas official has turned a blind eye on their concerns.
“He is blind, deaf and cripple,” the transport leader accused.
He said they will troop to the LTFRB-Western Visayas office Wednesday to call for Osmeña’s ouster.
He said around 30 drivers are expected to join the picket.
They organized only a small crowd so the riding public will not be disrupted by the protest from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., he said.
Malacad assailed LTFRB’s “Tanggal Bulok, Tanggal Usok” operations, a crackdown on smoke belching and dilapidated jeepneys.
“Stop harassing the drivers,” he called on the government agency.
Malacad said there were no implementing guidelines yet on the modernization program of the government which seeks to phase out 15-year-old public utility jeepneys.
He said he is not against authorities flagging down drivers who have traffic violations, but only those caught in relation to the modernization program.
The government said the campaign is not related to jeepney modernization, but more on road safety compliance.
Malacad said they will stage a nationwide transport strike in the coming weeks.