The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has deferred the apprehension of jeepneys and other public utility vehicles (PUV) whose operators failed to consolidate into either a corporation or a cooperative on Dec 31.

Supposedly, only unconsolidated PUV operators in routes with below 60 percent consolidation rate will be allowed to continue plying their routes until Jan. 31 this year based on the memorandum circular issued by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

In the same Memorandum Circular 2023-052, the franchise of jeepney and other PUV operators in routes with more than 60 percent consolidation rate are deemed revoked and their operation should have been considered illegal after Dec. 31 last year.

But DOTr Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said they decided to give more leeway to the unconsolidated PUV operators so that there will be uniform enforcement after Jan. 31 this year.

“Actually, we will just wait until the end of January 31 so that we could give them more time and opportunity to earn,” Bautista said in an interview.

The DOTr considers the consolidation as the first phase of the PUV Modernization Program and right now, the government is focusing on the second phase which is the route rationalization after the Dec. 31 deadline.

DOTr officials consider consolidation as important since it would facilitate the route rationalization and the granting of franchise and other benefits to the operators, especially in availing the government subsidy per unit of modern PUVs.

The LTFRB is now finalizing the list of the operators that consolidated which will serve as the basis for law enforcers as to which units should be apprehended after Jan. 31.

The enforcement

After the Jan. 31, Bautista said the LTFRB and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) will be in full force in apprehending unconsolidated PUVs since they would already be considered as illegal.

“They are already considered as colorum and operating colorum PUVs has a high penalty,” said Bautista.

Bautista said they already coordinated with the Philippine National Police as the local government units, as well as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for the operation in the National Capital Region, for the enforcement after Jan. 31.

He said they will also tap the Philippine Coast Guard in the conduct of law enforcement against unconsolidated PUVs.

Due process 

In an earlier statement, the LTFRB said they will use the entire month of January this year to issue Show Cause Orders to unconsolidated PUV operators.

The issuance of SCOs, according to the agency, is part of the due process under the Public Service Act. 

In the SCOs, unconsolidated PUV operators will be asked to explain why their franchise should not be revoked for failure to consolidate on or before the Dec, 31 deadline. 

Concerns

At least two major transport groups have been defiant on the government’s order for the operators to consolidate, arguing that the PUV Modernization program is anti-poor since it would compel operators to buy a modern unit that costs more than P2 million.

The transport groups, Piston and Manibela, also raised the issue of discrepancies in the rules and regulations governing the PUV Modernization.