MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Wednesday arrested 20 drivers of modern public utility jeepneys due to overloading.
LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III said two separate “anti-overloading” operations took place in Caloocan and Quezon City, with LTFRB’s Law Enforcement Unit (LEU) agents apprehending the drivers.
“Ako po ay muling nananawagan sa mga driver at operator ng mga pampasaherong sasakyan na sumunod na lamang po tayo sa batas upang maiwasan po na kayo ay maabala ng husto at maging ng mga pasaherong sakay ninyo,” Guadiz said in a statement.
(Once again, I’m calling on drivers and operators of passenger vehicles to obey the law so that you and your passengers will not suffer any inconvenience.)
“Prayoridad po natin ang kaligtasan ng bawat isa. Mahalaga ang makarating kayo sa inyong destinasyon ng maayos at pabalik sa inyong pamilya na ligtas,” he added.
(Everyone’s safety is our priority. Therefore, you must arrive at your destination safely and return to your family safely.)
The LTFRB has earlier ordered an enhanced crackdown on overloading vehicles.
The regulatory agency said four instances prompted its agents to transfer some passengers to another vehicle to ensure their safety.
Other violations included cases of eight drivers not wearing the proper uniform, four with broken brake lights, two units without a posted fare matrix, and one without a “No Smoking” posted and another without a Certificate of Public Convenience (CPC) card displayed.
The erring jeepney drivers were issued violation tickets and fined P5,000 each.
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