LTFRB-7 moves operations to mall after fire incident

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Central Visayas (LTFRB-7) has moved its operations at the Robinsons Galleria mall located at the North Reclamation Area after the agency’s second floor was burned down on October 27, 2019. | CDND PHOTO / Delta Letigio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Central Visayas (LTFRB-7) has moved its operations to the Robinsons Galleria mall located at the North Reclamation Area (NRA) following the fire incident that burned down the agency’s second floor on Sunday, October 27, 2019.

Lawyer Eduardo Montealto, Jr., director of LTFRB-7, said they had to leave the LTFRB-7 building and move to the nearby mall to accommodate the applicants of special permits for travel as the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day draws near.

The LTFRB is now set up on the fourth floor of the mall where the special permit processing are made, while other applications are found on the third floor’s services booth.

Montealto said LTFRB-7 will hold office at the mall until their new building, which is located on E. Chavez Street in Cebu City, will be finished in May 2020.

LTFRB-7 will be implementing manual operations after their computers were burned by fire and destroyed by water when the blaze was being put out on October 27.

With the manual nature of operations, Montealto requested the applicants to be patient and assured them that they will be accommodated.

He said they have processed 12 special permits for bus liners that have asked to travel in routes that they do not normally pass during the “kalag-kalag” period in order to transport passengers closer to their hometowns and town cemeteries.

He reminded bus liners that drivers should always carry their special permits so they can immediately show them to traffic enforcers when they are asked for copies.

Montealto said no tourist buses are allowed to get a permit because only vehicles tagged as Public Utility Vehicles (PUV) are allowed to take on passengers.

“The tourist buses are not PUVs, they are not allowed to take on passengers. The public should not ride them if they try to take on passengers,” said Montealto.

Meanwhile, Montealto said they are constantly checking the buses at the North Bus and South Bus Terminals for quality check because defective buses are not allowed to run for the safety of the passengers.

He reminded bus operators to load the buses only up to their maximum weight limit.  Should they violate the n0-overloading policy, he said operators will be fined up to P50,000 pesos and may even face suspension.

The regional director also reminded operators to check the status of their personnel especially the drivers before each trip to ensure their capability to travel.

Montealto said operators will be suspended if an accident occurs and they are proven to have neglected to check on their drivers.

Montealto urged the public to immediately report buses that violate the no-overloading policy or if they notice something wrong with the driver. He said passengers should report drivers who appear or smell drunk. / celr