CONTINUING PROTEST A streamer at a terminal for jeepneys plying the Paco-Rotunda Nagtahan route in Manila expresses the unyielding position of the local transport association about the government’s modernization program for public utility vehicles, in this photo taken on January 2, 2023. INQUIRER/RICHARD A. REYES
MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has reopened applications for public utility vehicle (PUV) consolidation until November 28, LTRFB chairperson Teofilo Guadiz III announced on Thursday.
According to Guadiz, unconsolidated PUV operators and drivers have 45 days to submit their applications in response to the Senate’s request.
“I only gave them 45 days. This is also per the Senate’s request when they passed a resolution stating that we should defer. The concession to them is that I will reopen it, but only for 45 days,” Guadiz said in Filipino in a Super Radyo interview.
He also said consolidated PUVs from this round of applications will automatically qualify for fuel subsidies once they submit their applications.
“The moment you apply, you are automatically qualified. We will enroll you in Landbank, and you can already withdraw your funds,” Guadiz explained in Filipino.
“We are receiving many applications again, as the government offers various benefits to those who join the program,” he added.
According to data from the Department of Transportation (DOTr), there are still 36,217 PUVs that remain unconsolidated past the April 30, 2024 consolidation deadline.
The DOTr also reported in a previous House committee hearing that only 81.11 percent or 155,513 out of 191,730 PUVs in the country have been consolidated.
READ: LTFRB: 80% of PUVs already consolidated