Law and order on the road

If we are to believe public transport industry reports, there is a very wide gap in demand-and-supply brought by the growing popularity of ride-sharing services in our country. But what is perplexing is how the reported dilly-dallying at the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to resolve the application of additional 10,000 franchises for ride-sharing services while there are so many units needed to fill booking requests?

It behooves LTFRB chairman Martin Delgra III to directly respond to this situation that has developed into a brewing trouble on the road, especially in Metro Manila where such ride-sharing services are in most demand.

In fact, a group of ride-sharing drivers will hold a transport holiday starting Monday, July 8 to dramatize their plight.

Affected by such inordinate delay of the LTFRB to immediately address their pleas, the ride-sharing groups are now seeking presidential intervention.

In a letter petition sent to Malacanang, it has now reached the attention of no less than President Rodrigo Duterte and Department of Transportations (DOTr) Secretary Arturo Tugade under whom the LTFRB is an attached agency.

By definition, the LTFRB distinguishes the ride-sharing services into two classifications. The Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) refer to ride-hailing platforms like Grab, while their partner-drivers are referred to as Transport Network Vehicle Service (TNVS).

In February this year, the LTFRB announced it was set to open 10,000 slots for new applications for TNVS units starting on June 10. This was after ride-hailing platform Grab appealed to the LTFRB to open up the new slots to address vehicle supply issues. Last month, Grab informed the LTFRB they need permission to open 15,000 slots so that the firm can open up its platform to new drivers. 

It’s almost a month after but TNVS groups that have applied with the LTFRB have yet to receive notice of hearings from the LTFRB. This we were told in our Kapihan sa Manila Bay breakfast forum last Wednesday by Eric Gabriel and Saturnino Mopas representing VS owners and drivers, and from the Passengers Forum headed by ex-Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry Ridon and Primo Morillo. National Capital Region Command Office (NCRPO) chief, Maj. Gen.Guillermo Eleazar joined us in our conversations during this week’s Kapihan sa Manila Bay at Cafe Adriatico in Remedios Circle, Malate.

According to Gabriel, there are 60,000 available franchise for TNVS but only half are supposedly filled by LTFRB. Of the half, he said, only about 15,000 units are actively operating.

While Gabriel’s groups patiently wait for a reply from either Malacanang or Tugade, another TNVS group has apparently lost their patience already. Jun De Leon, chairman of the Metro Manila Hatchback TNVS Community announced yesterday in a press conference in Quezon City their group’s decision to stage a transport holiday. Drivers plan to go offline from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. starting Monday and will last indefinitely until LTFRB acts on their petition.

Around 1,200 drivers allegedly lost their jobs after LTFRB deactivated some hatchbacks as ride-sharing units, De Leon deplored. Even if not supported by any roadworthiness study to prove it, De Leon rued, the LTFRB suddenly came out with a ruling their Hatchback are supposedly “unsafe” for ride-sharing. Ironically, there are so many private vehicle owners having the same kind of vehicle model. 

For his part, Eleazar discussed with us during our weekly Kapihan sa Manila Bay breakfast news forum about the on-going cleansing campaign of the Philippine National Police (PNP) against the so-called “bad eggs” within their ranks, especially those engaged in “kotong” and other illegal activities and abuses by erring police officers and men. 

As the NCRPO chief, Eleazar cited, he has under his command 29,000 policemen and policewomen all over Metro Manila out of the 190,000-strong PNP force nationwide. Based from the record at the NCRPO, a total of 711 policemen were dismissed; 1,378 suspended; and 190 demoted during the first three years since the administration of President Duterte took over.

The NCRPO chief finds it easy to sign dismissal orders against errant cops found guilty after “due process” deliberations given to each of them. However, he admitted, he takes a second look at those policemen recommended for exoneration if only to leave no stone unturned where justice demands it. This is especially of cases involving unnecessary loss of lives amid unending allegations of extrajudicial killings on the anti-illegal drugs operations of the PNP.

A known disciplinarian of his men and women cops, Eleazar continued implementing the internal cleansing and the war against illegal drugs programs of the PNP. Eleazar disclosed receiving as many as 4,000 applicants for 300 patrolman slots allocated for additional NCRPO force this year following President Duterte’s doubling of cops’ pay.

First promoted as NCRPO chief in June last year, Eleazar is bruited about as frontrunner among the three candidates to succeed outgoing PNP Director General Oscar Albayalde. The two others are Lt. Generals Camilo Cascolan and Archie Gamboa, both members of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1986.

According to Albayalde, the three police generals will be on his “short list” once he makes a recommendation to President Duterte for his replacement when the incumbent PNP chief steps down at mandatory age of retirement in November this year. Eleazar is the youngest among the three contenders to be the next top cop. He belongs to PMA Class 1987 and is due to retire in November 2021.

While he noted the LTFRB woes of the TNVS groups, the NCRPO chief reminded them of the need to operate with legal franchises. To avoid getting into trouble with traffic law enforcers, he urged them to follow the law and order on the roads, with public safety foremost in their minds.