The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has extended to March 31 next year the deadline for the filing of applications for the consolidation of individual and existing franchise holders provided under the PUV Modernization Program.
The move came in response to the appeal of DUMPER-PTDA Partylist Rep. Claudine Bautista.
The LTFRB recently issued Memorandum Circular 2020-084 to lift the Dec. 31, 2020, deadline for the consolidation of all individual franchise holders into cooperatives or corporations, which is in compliance with the “one route, one operator concept” under the PUVMP.
MC-2020-084 was signed on Friday by the LTFRB led by Chairman Martin Delgra III and Commissioners Ronaldo Corpus and retired Col. Joel C. Pernito.
Bautista, vice chairperson of the House Committee on Transportation, was instrumental in convincing the board to extend the deadline.
Previously, the LTFRB extended to Dec. 31 the filing deadline, or six months after the original July 10, 2020 schedule. This was in response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of a National Health Emergency as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic.
Bautista, in appealing for a new deadline for the full implementation of the PUVMP, said that while the government had been succeeding in its response to the COVID 19 threat, the public transport industry had yet to recover from the adverse effects of the pandemic.
“PUV operators and drivers cannot at this moment shoulder the cost that comes with the filing of their application for consolidation. Their current economic situation necessitates that they be given more time to get back to their own feet and fully recover,” Bautista said.
Bautista also said that under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, any phase out of the non-compliant routes was barred.
“I never doubted that the LTFRB will heed the appeal of the public transport sector. The board deserves a commendation from a grateful industry,” Bautista said.