BAGUIO CITY – The city council last Monday reset its dialogue with the heads of the local offices of the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB), the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) on the alleged proliferation of taxi units in the city to April 4.
Search for buy .co domains online
The dialogue was originally set last Monday but the invited guests failed to appear due to earlier commitments. Invited were DOTC-CAR Director Alfredo Mondiguing, the LTFRB head or his representative and LTO-CAR Hearing Officers Brenda Poklay and Attorney Guillermo Cadatar.
Councilors Leandro Yangot, Jr. and Rocky Thomas Balisong proposed the dialogue to clarify the reported mushrooming of taxicabs plying the city’s routes despite an existing moratorium on the issuance of franchises to these public utility vehicles (PUVs) as per existing city resolutions.
The aldermen noted that the city through Resolution No. 292 series of 1998 had recommended to the LTFRB the “immediate amendment of its memorandum circular No. 26-002 so as to include in clear and unmistakable language the suspension of acceptance of applications or issuance of franchises to operate (PUVs) in or touching Baguio City, whether it be along intra-City and intra-Regional Routes and whether it be for new applications for franchises or mere petitions for amendment of line.”
Another resolution, Resolution No. 317-2001, “interposed strong objections on the application of [new] franchises.”
“Despite the existence of said resolutions, there are complaints that there had been additional taxi units [whose franchises were] approved by the LTFRB contributing to the worsening traffic congestion and pollution in the city and creating great inconvenience to the residents,” the aldermen noted.
They said the dialogue with the LTFRB and DOTC chiefs is needed so that the “allegations against [them] be clarified and the [truth prevail] so as not to create further problems on the worsening traffic condition in the City,” they noted.
The city has in the past been hounded by the same problem on the unabated issuance of PUV franchises, which was blamed for the worsening traffic situation in the city.