The Iloilo City Government went full swing Monday, May 27, with the implementation of its enhanced local public transport route plan (LPTRP) covering 17 rationalized and eight developmental or new routes.
The LPTRP is a requirement of the national government’s Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) for local government units to determine their routes and franchises.
“In coordination with the LTFRB (Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board) and LTO (Land Transportation Office), we will start with our enforcement operation today. We have selected a traffic inspection area to determine if those plying routes are all consolidated units,” Iloilo City Traffic Management Unit (ICTMU) head Uldarico Garbanzos said.
Garbanzos said unless they have documents proving that they are allowed to operate, they can be considered as colorum.
He said they could immediately identify the consolidated traditional jeepneys through the sticker provided by the ICTMU.
For easy identification, the ICTMU also implemented a color-coding for each route.
A total of 520 modernized jeepneys and 1,692 consolidated traditional jeepneys are allowed to operate.
He added that gradually, they will put in place other components of the LPTRP, such as the loading and unloading markings and limited stops for the first towns.
Garbanzos said they sent their coordination letter to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the City Engineers Office (CEO) to prioritize the vital components in implementing the route plan.
Halley Alcarde, general manager of the Western Visayas Transport Cooperative, called on the public to immediately alert their association of routes with no available jeepneys, especially during nighttime, so they could immediately respond.
“That is our purpose, to condition the mind of our people that even nighttime, we have available jeepneys,” he said.Perla Lena/PNA
