MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) The president of the umbrella organization of school service vehicles acknowledged Wednesday that only half of their vans have complied with the standards set by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

On the other hand, LTFRB board member Gerardo Pinili said that carpools could be considered “colorum” or illegal if these involve profits.

At a press conference, Lee Marco, president of the Alliance of School Service Associations of the Philippines (ASSAP), said some 2,500 of their members’ 5,000 service vans have complied with the LTFRB’s requirements.

Many of the alliance’s members service high-end schools such as Ateneo, Miriam and Claret, as well as schools in Manila’s university belt, Marco said.

Pinili released Memorandum Circular Number 2007-011, or the “mandatory yellow color scheme for school transport service,” which requires school service vans, buses, and mini-buses to have yellow body paint, the name of the school printed in bold black letters, a first aid kit, an aide or conductor, and grilled windows.

All school service vehicles are subject to inspection by the LTFRB and the deadline of inspection will be on May 2009, Pinili said.

The LTFRB has set May 2009 as the deadline for all school service vehicles to comply with the requirements,

Nevertheless, Pinili said the anti-colorum task force composed of the LTFRB, Land Transportation Office and Metro Manila Development Authority will start its campaign against illegal service vehicles.

Marco welcomed the LTFRB program although ASSAP chairman Colonel Roque said the LTFRB should make sure it anti-colorum drive should be effective.

“Mejo malaki ang additional cost para papinturahan ang van ng yellow, pero kung masusugpo naman ng LTFRB ang mga colorum, okay na samin [The additional cost to paint a van yellow is substantial, but if the LTFRB can stamp out the colorum, it’s okay with us],” Roque said.

Pinili also warned parents against trusting colorum services.

“The parents should be reminded not to trust colorum school service vehicles because the minute the colorum vehicle is apprehended, their children will have no way of getting home,” he said.

He said the LTFRB would also coordinate closely with both the Department of Education (DepEd) and Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) to remind the schools not to avail of the services of colorum school services.

“We will have to coordinate with DepEd and CHEd to make the schools liable in case an accident occurs while students are on board a colorum school service vehicle,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pinili cautioned that carpools may be considered, although they are permissible as long as there are “no gains, no loss[es]” involved.

“As long as the carpool is not being used for profit, it’s legal,” he said.

But carpools that advertise themselves are automatically considered colorum.