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MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Office-National Capital Region West (LTO-NCR West) on Monday announced that it would resume apprehending this week taxi drivers who refuse travelers or only accommodate certain passengers.
Through “Oplan Isnabero,” LTO-NCR West Director Roque Verzosa III said they hope to make it easier for people returning from their extended vacation to reach their homes in the metropolis.
The nation has just observed the Holy Week, which provided a long weekend for the public since the government had declared Maundy Thursday and Good Friday as regular holidays; Black Saturday, a non-working holiday, and April 10, a regular holiday since April 9, which is the commemoration of “Araw ng Kagitingan” (Day of Valor), fell on a Sunday.
READ: Long weekends ahead: Marcos proclamation on 2023 PH holidays out
Vacationers are anticipated to return to their homes from the provinces and abroad this week.
“The program ‘Oplan Isnabero’ will resume from April 11 to April 14, where LTO enforcers will be stationed at bus terminals to ensure that drivers who refuse to take passengers will be penalized,” Verzosa said.
“Sisiguraduhin namin na mapaparusahan ang mga taxi drivers na tatanggi magsakay ng pasahero,” he added.
(We will make sure that taxi drivers who refuse to pick up passengers will be punished.)
Under Joint Administrative Order No. 2014-01, “refusal to render service to the public or convey passengers to their destination” is punishable by a fine ranging from P5,000 to P15,000. The violator’s Certificate of Public Conveyance (CPC) may also be revoked, the LTO noted.
Verzosa reiterated that their personnel remain on “high alert” status, bracing for the arrival of holidaymakers to Metro Manila following the long Holy Week break.
The LTO-NCR West covers the cities of Manila, Pasay, Makati, Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Muntinlupa, and Las Piñas.
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