LTFRB asks transport group to defer protest

MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) yesterday appealed to the Alliance of Concerned Transport Organization (ACTO) to reconsider its plan to hold a transport holiday and demonstration today to protest the government’s public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program.

“It is disruptive and will be a disservice to the commuting public,” the LTFRB said in a statement.

ACTO president Efren de Luna said they will converge in front of the Quezon Memorial Circle at around 8 a.m. today. They will then proceed to the LTFRB’s main office along East Avenue, where they would hold a program at 10 a.m.

While they are not against the modernization of PUVs, De Luna said they are against some of the standards set by the LTFRB, among them the route rationalization program.

He expressed concern that some of their drivers who will be transferred to another route will end up jobless as he claimed the LTFRB has opened applications on other routes.

De Luna urged the government to study the modernization plan carefully before implementing it.

The LTFRB said ACTO is on its own as other major transport groups remain supportive of the PUV modernization program.