The government has resumed operation against colorum and out of line public utility vehicles along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue and other major thoroughfares.
The latest operation, according to Metro Manila Development Authority supervising officer for operation Edison Nebrija Jr., resulted in the apprehension and impounding of 21 vehicles, mostly buses and vans operating without franchise.
“We started our operations against colorums on Monday and we were able to apprehend four buses, six vans, two [passenger] jeepneys, one multicab and one AUVs [Asian Utility Vehicles]. Most of these vehicles came from Pala-Pala, Dasmariñas in Cavite,” said Nebrija.
On Tuesday, the Inter-Agency Council on Traffic (I-ACT) – Task Force Alamid composed of men from the MMDA and Land Transportation Office impounded seven colorum vans in the areas of Coastal Mall and Dongalo in Paranaque City, Tramo Street and in front of Heritage Hotel in Pasay City.
“They were caught with passengers going to Lawton [Manila] from Buendia Avenue [Pasay]. We will continue doing this until Friday. Illegally parked vehicles will be towed as well,” said Nebrija.
MMDA general manager and I-ACT chief Thomas Orbos said the government is determined not only to minimize, but to put a stop to the traffic problems caused by colorum vehicles, which if left unattended will further cause more headaches to the general public and the authorities.
Authorities admitted that colorums are among the “culprits” that caused heavy traffic in the metropolis.
Under a Joint Administrative Order issued by the LTO and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board: Operators of colorum buses will be fined P1 million for the first offense, P200,000 for trucks and vans, P120,000 for sedans, P50,000 for jeepneys, and P60,000 for motorcycles.
Six years ago, the Metro Manila Council, MMDA’s policy-making body composed of the 17 mayors, authorized the agency to implement vehicle tagging of all registered and franchised public utility vehicles plying the major and secondary roads of Metro Manila.
The scheme aimed to wipe out colorum and out-of-line PUVs and improve the MMDA traffic monitoring and surveillance. It will also facilitate easy tracking and identification of traffic violators because the license plates of the PUVs will be painted prominently on the roofs, making it easy for the MMDA’s CCTV cameras to capture images and identify them
During the first State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016, he ordered an all out campaign against colorum and out-of-line vehicles and the removal of terminals along EDSA that caused traffic congestion.
As this developed, a panel in the House of Representatives has approved the creation of a technical working group to fine tune and deliberate on a bill that seeks to require driver’s education for professional truck drivers as a means to promote road safety.
The House committee on transportation, chaired by Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento of Catanduanes, said the TWG is tasked to incorporate and harmonize the inputs gathered during the committee hearings on House Bill 859 which provides for mandatory specialized education for professional truck drivers, to be conducted by accredited driving schools.
Deputy speaker and Bulacan Rep. Linabelle Ruth Villarica, author of the bill, said current rules and procedure for accreditation for driving schools do not include truck driver’s education.
“While the regulation of driving schools has significantly improved the education and skills of drivers, truck drivers specifically have to be educated on the intricacies of driving their vehicles in view of their size and weight. This will not only ensure road safety for motorists and the commuting public but also protect and preserve properties from damage or destruction,” Villarica said.
Citing the 2016 data from the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Villarica said showed motorcycles accounted for the highest fatal crash rate with 218 cases, followed by trucks with 103 and cars with 98. For accidents involving damage to property, cars accounted for the highest rate with 100,665 cases and followed by trucks with 18,052.
Among others, the bill seeks to improve the existing licensing requirement by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) that requires certification of passing the driver’s seminar by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for application or renewal of professional truck driver’s license.
In one of the congressional hearings, the Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines (CTAP), backed the bill’s passage.
Sarmiento, for his part, said the TWG will consider other suggestions from resource persons, like the addition of neuropsychiatric testing on top of training and education as requirement for professional truck drivers’ license.
“There were also proposals to consolidate the requisite certifications and testing under one office, either TESDA or LTO, to avoid a difficult situation where drivers would have to face multiple required tests and seminars from different agencies, Sarmiento said.
Similarly, the TWG is expected to tackle the question on whether or not to expand the coverage of the bill to cover drivers of other public utility veicles such as taxis and buses, among others.