No more legal impediments to new rule on stiffer fines vs ‘colorum’ public utility vehicles
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MANILA, Philippines—The implementation of the new rule that imposes stiffer penalties on operators of “colorum” vehicles or public utility vehicles will push through on June 19.
This, after the Supreme Court defers action on the petition of a transport group questioning the legality of Joint Administrative Order No. 2014-01 or the “Revised Schedule of Fines and Penalties for Violations of Laws, Rules and Regulations Governing Land Transportation.”
Instead, the high court, during Tuesday’s session ordered Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Land Transportation Office to comment on the petition within 10 days.
Petitioner Angat Tsuper Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator ng Pilipinas-Genuine Organization” or “Angat Tsuper/Stop & Go” told the high court that the new policy was vague because of its failure to indicate whether the penalty will be paid by the owner/operator or driver of the public utility vehicle.
They added that the fines imposed are also a “”thousand percent” increase from the penalties set under Republic Act 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code of 1964.
“Lucidly, the increase was excessive, unreasonable and oppressive, and is offensive to the due process clause of the Constitution,” the petition stated.
“If for one reason or another, due to inadvertence, a full-time PUJ driver or family driver (or with similar occupation) earning P500 a day failed to bring with him his driver’s license or lost along the way without his knowledge, if caught, then his one week earnings would be taken at the expense of his family, lose his job and could no longer work,” it added.
Under the Joint Administrative Order the fine for other first-time colorum offenders are: trucks – P200,000; jeepney – P50,000; vans – P200,000; sedans – P120,000; motorcycles – P6,000; and buses, P1 million.
Apart from these fines, the colorum vehicles will also be impounded for a minimum period of three months. The entire certificate of public convenience (CPC) to which the colorum vehicle belongs will be revoked, as well as their vehicle registrations.
They will also be blacklisted from being used as PUVs in the future.
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