MANILA — The Inter-Agency Council on Traffic (I-ACT) will expand its ‘Tanggal Bulok Tanggal Usok’ (TBTU) campaign to get rid of smoke belching and dilapidated public utility vehicles (PUVs) in mega Manila starting Friday.
The council will conduct an on-road inspection of PUVs in Mega Manila areas, namely Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, and Antipolo in Rizal province.
“These areas affect traffic in the metropolis as most commuters coming from these provinces are working in Metro Manila,” I-ACT Task Force Alamid head, Gen. Manuel Gonzales, said in a statement Thursday.
“The primary concern of the council’s expansion of operation is to ensure the safety of the riding public not only in the metro but in other areas of the country, as well, as it is in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to modernize the public transport system nationwide,” he added.
I-ACT head, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Tim Orbos, said additional manpower and logistics from its member agencies would be deployed amid requests to expand their TBTU operations in the cities of Cebu and Davao.
Under the campaign, I-ACT will inspect the PUVs’ body (appearance), engine, lights, brakes, tires, horn, battery, and smoke emission to check its roadworthiness.
Failure to pass the roadworthiness test will result in the suspension of the franchises of PUVs.
Latest data from the I-ACT show that a total of 1,048 were apprehended due to various violations ranging from defective vehicle parts, illegally franchised or “colorum” PUVs, illegal parking, to smoke belching, among others, since TBTU was launched earlier this month. (Aerol John Pateña/PNA)
