PBA Rep. Jericho Nograles (Photo from his Facebook account)
A lawmaker on Tuesday blasted the decision of the Land Transportation and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to suspend the operations of transport network company (TNC) Uber, calling it “harsh” and “arbitrary.”
Rep. Jericho Nograles of the Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) party-list said the decision has “done nothing good on the country’s unreliable public transport system” and “has only taken away the options available for Filipinos to move around.”
“To be honest, I believe it’s a little bit harsh,” Nograles said in an interview with CNN’s “The Source.”
He said that the available public utility vehicles (PUVs) – like jeepneys, trains, taxis, and buses – are inadequate for the 12.8 million Filipinos living in Metro Manila.
“And in the suspension of Uber, you have only taken away the options for Filipinos to move around the Philippines, or at least Metro Manila,” Nograles explained.
The lawmaker said that the LTFRB should have fined Uber instead of suspending it. That would hurt only the company, not the public.
“So if you fine them, first of all, the government gets money,” Nograles said. “So the government gets income. So panalo ang government (the government wins). Number two: They continue to operate and get regulated with their operations, and you don’t disrupt the needs of the riding public.”
The LTFRB earlier suspended Uber operations for defying its July 26 order not to activate new drivers into its platform.
Uber appealed the decision on Tuesday but LTFRB immediately junked the appeal. /atm