By Christine Fabro
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Saturday, March 4, ordered its regional directors to issue special permits to public utility vehicles (PUVs) that will allow them to ply in areas and routes affected by the week-long transport strike.
“Sa ilalim ng Board Resolution No. 06 series of 2023 na inilabas ng LTFRB, inatasan ng ahensya ang lahat ng Regional Directors nito na mag-isyu ng Special Permits upang mapahintulutan ang mga operator at tsuper ng mga pampublikong sasakyan na pumasada sa labas ng kanilang ruta para matugunan ang mga lugar na apektado, alinsunod sa mga panuntunan na una nang nakasaad sa Memorandum Circular 2015-008 ng ahensya,” the statement read.
Under the Memorandum Circular, special permits may be issued by the LTFRB in preparation for any circumstance that may cause inconvenience to commuters.
LTFRB Technical Division Chief Joel Bolano said the issuance of special permits is among the interventions of the agency to address the potential lack of PUVs during the transport strike.
“Lahat ng opisina ng LTFRB sa buong bansa ay nakahanda naman na mag-isyu ng special permit. In fact, mayroon na kaming mga inter-agency meeting na isinagawa noong nakalipas na dalawang araw,” he added.
About 100,000 units of PUVs including UV expresses and jeepneys are expected to suspend their trips from March 6 to 12 as a sign of protest against the government’s PUV modernization program. – gb
