Hundreds paralyzed by transport caravan

MANILA, Philippines – Hundreds of commuters in Metro Manila were paralyzed by a protest caravan staged by various transport groups on Thursday morning, June 19, to oppose higher fines on operators of colorum vehicles imposed by authorities starting that day.

The Stop and Go Coalition, an umbrella organization of transport operators, assembled at the Quezon City Memorial Circle before heading for the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in Quezon City, and then to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) office in Pasig City.

Jun Magno, Stop and Go Coalition president, clarified in an interview with DZBB that the caravan is “not a transport strike.”

Colorum operators did not ply their regular route that day out of fear of being asked to pay hefty fines.  

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) deployed some vehicles to provide free rides to stranded commuters.

Under DOTC-LTFRB Joint Administrative Order No. 2014-01, first-time “colorum offenders” face the following fines: motorcycles, P6,000; jeepneys, P50,000; sedans, P120,000; vans, P200,000; trucks, P200,000; and buses, up to P1 million.

Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya  had earlier explained that the high fine for the first offense of colorum bus operators is meant “to show that we really mean business in putting an end to their inimical activities which put people’s lives at risk.”

Under the JAO, colorum vehicles will be impounded for at least 3 months, their  certificate of public convenience (CPC) and their vehicle registrations will be revoked, and will be blacklisted for use as public utility vehicles (PUVs) in the future.

If a second offense is committed, all CPCs and vehicle registrations of the erring operator will be revoked, and vehicles will be blacklisted from being used as PUVs in the future. 

The violating operator – in the case of corporations, the stockholders and directors – will be disqualified from operating any kind of public land transportation. – Rappler.com