LTFRB: Over 70% of PUVs consolidated under modernization program
MANILA, Philippines — More than 70 percent of public utility vehicles (PUVs) nationwide have consolidated under the PUV modernization program (PUVMP), an official from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said on Friday.
According to LTFRB officer in charge Riza Paches, 76 percent, or 145,721 jeepneys, UV Express, buses, and minibuses, have been consolidated based on their data as of January 5.
“For UV Express, nasa 82 percent na po ‘yung consolidation rate, and for the PUJ [public utility jeepneys], that is 73.96 percent,” Paches said in a press conference.
Meanwhile, in the National Capital Region (NCR) alone, the official said that 52.54 percent, or 26,055 PUJs and UV Express, have complied with the consolidation requirement of the PUVMP.
From this number, Paches said that 21,655 are jeepneys, while 4,400 are UV Express.
She also added that 97 percent of confirmed and registered PUJs in Metro Manila, totaling 21,655 units, have completed the consolidation process.
“We compared that data to the consolidated units, and we confirmed that the consolidation rate [in NCR] was around 97 percent for PUJs [with a total of] 21,655 units because there are only 22,284 confirmed units for PUJs, and for the level of UV Express, it’s almost 100 percent when we tried to look at the figures of confirmed units,” Paches said.
The final and official numbers of consolidated PUVs are still being processed, she said.
Office of Transportation Cooperatives Chairman Ferdinand “Andy” Ortega, on the other hand, debunked transport group Manibela’s claim that the LTFRB has accepted consolidation applications even way past the deadline.
“Wala pong katotohanan na tumatanggap pa po ng late or after the December 31 deadline [for the] consolidation. Ang ginagawa po ng LTFRB pina-process nila ‘yung mga humabol up to 5 p.m. nitong December 31,” Ortega explained.
(It is not true that we accepted late submissions or those after the December 31 deadline for consolidation. What the LTFRB is doing is it processes those who were able to apply at 5 p.m. this December 31.)
While there is no extension for the deadline, Ortega said that drivers under operators who did not consolidate their units would not totally lose their jobs.
He explained that the drivers still have a chance to join existing cooperatives or corporations.
“‘Yung mga drivers ng operators, sila po ay hindi mawawalan ng trabaho,” Ortega said.
(The drivers of the operators will not lose their jobs.)
He added that the LTFRB will make sure that cooperatives will accept drivers from operators who have not consolidated, as they are badly needed by the former.
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