Council Sets ‘Public Hearing’ on DOTC Order on July 16

● City Council also invites interested PUV operators and the commuters for them to air their sentiments.

The Cebu City Council is inviting public transport operators to attend and speak during the public hearing on July 16 which will discuss the controversial Joint Administrative Order (JAO) 2014-01, which became effective last June 19.

The order increased the penalties of apprehended ‘colorum’ drivers and operators.

The council also invited officials of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and its enforcement arms, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and Land Transportation Office (LTO).

Aside from the concerned government officials, the City Council will also invite some interested operators of public utility vehicles (PUVs) like passenger jeepneys, taxi and buses, and some representatives from the commuters for them to air their sentiments.

Earlier, the drivers’ and operators’ association – Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (PISTON) had described the Joint Administrative Order 2014-01 as “unreasonable, oppressive, confiscatory and contrary to law.”

PISTON claimed that the implementation of the DOTC order did not undergo a correct process of enactment, providing only for one public consultation which is not enough to ratify the said order.

Councilor Gerardo Carillo has decided to sponsor a resolution for the City Council to conduct a public hearing because it is important to clarify with the transport sector, drivers and operators, the various issues and concerns affecting their situation. They are hoping that the DOTC-Manila would send its representatives to appear during the public hearing in order to shed light over the issue and avoid another protest from the drivers and operators of PUVs.

Several PUJ drivers operating in the various parts of Metro Cebu had stopped plying their routes last June 19 while some 300 drivers trooped to the LTO-7 regional office to show their protest over the JAO 2014-01.

The order mandated the increase of fines against operators of colorum vehicles: buses- P1 million, P200,000 against the operators of trucks and vans, P120, 000 for sedans and taxi cabs, P50,000 for jeepneys and P6,000 for motorcycles that will be used to hire passengers for a fee.

At present, only three alleged colorum buses so far had been apprehended in Central Visayas, two in Cebu and one in Bohol.