Transport leaders denounce steep LTFRB charge

A transport leader has called the attention of the Department of Transportation over the alleged requirement of the Land Transportation Franchise and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) for operators to pay an exorbitant amount before their registrations can be renewed as a requirement under the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program.

Zeny Maranan, president of the Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (FEJODAP), said the LTFRB office in Batangas is requiring their 461 members to pay an initial P18,000 before their applications will be processed.

“It is surprising that here in Metro Manila the LTFRB is not charging us for anything. Yet, LTFRB Batangas is requiring our members to pay that amount,” Maranan said.

She called on Transportation chief Arthur Tugade to clarify this order, and should this be not a requirement, for the agency to refund the collected fees.

Speaking at the weekly “Tapatan sa Aristocrat” media forum she also complained the idea of consolidating all jeepney operators under a mother organization seemed like a dubious scheme.

Maranan said FEJODAP was not against the jeepney modernization program but questioned whether the scheme drawn up by the government’s implementing agency was a feasible one.

She said this would open the local jeepney industry to oligarchs who might enter the business and eventually take over their means of livelihood.

Dared to name names, she mentioned a surname as having started a transportation business in Cebu, investing a fleet of 30 modern jeepneys to ply different routes.

On the other hand, Roberto “Ka Obet” Martin of FEJODAP admitted consolidating the jeepney groups under one organization was a wise move in terms of implementing the modernization policy and on the issue of financing, the allocation of routes, and providing financial assistance for drivers and operators.

However, Maranan admitted that the three-year timeline the government laid down to implement 100 percent modernization was not practicable since there are only four manufacturers who can build a single vehicle a day.