Delgra denies claims of ‘bias, favoritism’ in granting PUV franchises
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairman Martin Delgra. DAPHNIE BELTRAN, INQUIRER.net intern
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairman Martin Delgra denied on Tuesday the accusations on alleged “bias and favoritism” in granting public utility vehicle (PUV) franchises.
“We have been saying that there is no undue advantage that we are giving to those prospective applicants because they still have to go to the process and prove themselves qualified,” Delgra said in an interview.
Delgra also said that he would rather wait for a copy of the complaint filed by Efren De Luna before the Office of the Ombudsman before commenting on the issue.
READ: Transport group files graft raps vs LTFRB chief
De Luna, who is the chairman of Alliance of Concerned Transport Organization (ACTO), filed graft charges against Delgra and LTFRB board member Engineer Ronaldo Corpus on Tuesday morning.
“I cannot comment anything much more than that because I have not read the complaint,” Delgra said.
“I would rather wait for the copy to be furnished us and we would be able to address it squarely,” he added.
Delgra also asserted that the board has been following a regular process in granting transport groups applying for franchises.
“We would like to believe so,” Delgra said.
Aside from this, Delgra said that the LTFRB has also been working with other issues such as the implementation of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) in the country.
“We are also addressing the greater issue on the implementation ng PUVMP, that is why we are coming out with a MC (memorandum circular) anytime soon,” he said.
According to seven-page complaint-affidavit of De Luna, Delgra and Corpus violated Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The complaint of Delgra stemmed from LTFRB Board Resolution No. 045 that was signed by the two LTFRB officials.
Through the resolution, the ACTO president said that Delgra and Corpus gave “unwarranted benefits and preference” to a “particular entity and/or groups” who applied Certificates of Public Convenience to operate new routes for public utility vehicles. With reports from Daphnie Beltran, INQUIRER.net intern/je
