Senator Grace Poe cited Monday the urgency to strike a balance on the need to regulate and the need to serve the riding public.
“While we respect the LTFRB’s mandate to regulate the industry and ensure the safety of the riding public,” Poe said they also must recognize calls to make the process easier.
She said this was based on the Ease of Doing Business Act, only for the good of everyone.
“We have recognized for a long time the capacity of this industry to address the lack of a good transportation in Metro Manila,” she said.
“Why do we need to burden all?” she also asked.
At the same time, she noted “we also see that LTFRB already promised in its Memorandum Circular 2018-005 back in February 2018 that it will allow existing hatchbacks in the system to continue for three more years to recoup their investment.”
She added it was important to know why LTFRB was not following its own circular.
She said these were issues which had been raised in previous hearings of the Senate Committee on Public Services.
“What we should look into is not just the necessity of the requirements issued, but the scope of what the LTFRB can regulate and the consistency of its regulations,” she said.
“It is not acceptable that it has varying regulations being implemented, which are not fair to the commuters and the other stakeholders,” she said in Tagalog.
This transport holiday—strike in the language of some transport observers —called by the TNVS, she said, was an opportunity for the parties to come to the table.
“We support the dialogue tomorrow and hope that both the LTFRB and TNVS drivers can come to terms for the good of the riding public. “
While the parties are on the table, we hope that the LTFRB can consider lifting the deactivation on those who failed to comply with the requirements.
She also gave assurances to continue to work hard in the Senate to tackle bills that would put in place a law governing TNVS operations.
These include the refiling of our bill from last Congress which proposes that only Transport Network Companies (such as Grab) will be directly regulated by the LTFRB.
TNVS will only be one of several bills in the overarching “inclusive transportation” agenda.
Other bills which will be filed include the establishment of bicycle lanes, elevated walkways, and other alternative modes of transportation, Poe said.