Gov. Arthur Yap tells the Department of Transportation (DoTR), Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to be “realistic” in implementing the policy related to the operation of traditional public utility vehicles (PUV), particularly the jeepneys, where there is a need for “special permit”.
The governor expressed his position in the provincial government-sponsored program on Thursday (June 4, 2020).
In the interview, the governor said he was made aware about the situation where there is a shortage in the transportation options in the province after the LTO launched an operation against PUVs, particularly the jeepneys. There are no jeepneys plying their respective routes unless they have a special permit from the LTFRB.
It was learned from a radio interview that LTO 7 regional director Victor Emmanuel Caindec said that no jeepney operator in Bohol was granted a special permit.
In an LTFRB memorandum issued last June 1, 2020 by Regional Director Eduardo Montealto, he stated that “Likewise, all PUVs without special permit will be tantamount to colorum operations.”
In line with this, the LTO conducted an operation accosting jeepney drivers for plying their routes without the special permit.
With the development, Yap reached out to the national authorities “to be realistic” and allow the operations of the jeepneys, which are among the main modes of transportation in the province.
“The national policy to only allow buses to operate should not be made identically implementable dire sa Bohol, tungod kay lahi ang sitwasyon. Nakasabot ta sa NCR (National Capital Region) o sa mga other places na grabe ang pagtakod takod didto, ug of course istrikto sila sa pagcontain sa public transport. Dire sa Bohol, we have to be realistic na dire Covid free naman,” Yap said in the radio interview.
In the same interview, the governor pointed out that the number of buses operating in Bohol is not enough to cover the Boholanos’ transportation needs.
He added that DoTR Sec. Arthur Tugade may have an impression that there are enough bus franchises, but it does not reflect the real situation of the transport sector.
Moreover, the governor said that by restricting the operations of PUVs, it will only result to the violations of social distancing rules.
Furthermore, the governor reached out to the national authorities to resolve the issue that has caused a huge headache among the riding public in Bohol.