House visits to Grabcar, Uber operators
LTFRB Regional Director Ahmed Cuizon exchanges pleasantries with Senior Supt. Joel Doria, Cebu City police chief, before discussing their problem with colorum operators (CDN Photo/Lito Tecson).
The regional Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB-7) will do their own version of “Oplan TokHang (toktok hangyo or knock and plead) to operators and drivers of Grabcar or Uber.
Regional LTFRB Director Ahmed Cuizon said this during yesterday’s meeting at the office of Senior Supt. Joel Doria, Cebu City police chief.
Cuizon sought Doria’s help in securing their personnel who were threatened by unidentified persons affected by their campaign versus colorum vehicles or those still operating under Grabcar and Uber.
The LTFRB ordered the temporary suspension of Transport Network Vehicle Services (TNVS) like Uber and Grabcar pending a court ruling on a petition filed by transport groups against them.
There are 700 Grabcar and Uber applications pending at the LTFRB regional office in Cebu.
Doria said LTFRB personnel will be accompanied by police personnel during their house visits to Grabcar and Uber operators and drivers.
“This is to inform them in a diplomatic way about the temporary suspension of the application and there are penalties if they violate. I will ask our traffic police to coordinate and intensify the beat patrols in the area,” Doria said.
Last week, a text message from an unregistered number was received by a traffic enforcer whose identity is withheld to ensure his security.
The text message read, “GRABe na pud inyong gibuhat namo. Pasayloa ug naay mga matay nato ha? Sugod ta ihap adlaw ugma (What you did to us was terrible. Forgive us if some of you die ha? We’ll start counting tomorrow).”
Cuizons said the LTFRB officer who received the threat was absent yesterday.
Another LTFRB-7 staffer has his photo uploaded in Facebook by some netizens.
“Of course we will not consider this as hoax. It could come from those who are affected by our anti-colorum operations. It can be from the jeepneys, taxi, vans and even TNVS,” Cuizon said.
LTFRB-7 will continue their anti-colorum operations despite the threats that have surfaced.
“This is part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to intensify the anti-colorum campaign,” Cuizon said.
Two Grabcar units and one Uber unit were seized by the LTFRB and both operators are required to pay the P120,000 penalty. Their units were also suspended for three months.
“Let’s assess the level of those threats. But I also advise LTFRB personnel and enforcement officers to take the precautionary measures. There are always people or groups who may not like a particular policy,” Doria said.
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