Since the Malasakit Bus was launched on March 19, these have ferried over 6,000 medical and health workers. | LTFRB-7 photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines— Private vehicles may be used to provide shuttle service to employees of companies that are exempt from the prohibitions of the enhanced community quarantine provided that its owners secure a special permit from the Land Transportation Franchise and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
“Only those with special permits from LTFRB-7 are allowed to shuttle passengers of essential and exempted companies. Only PUVs with legitimate franchises or the Certificate of Public Convenience can be granted these special permits,” said LTFRB-7 Director Eduardo Montealto Jr.
The ECQ implementation ordered the suspension of public transportation to make sure that people stay at home.
Montealto said LTFRB-7 has so far issued 29 special permits covering 55 units.
LTFRB charges a fee of P170 for the special permit that is valid for three days. But special permits may be given for if the concerned operator or LGU will be using the transport service for free.
“To avail of the free special permit, the concerned LGU should submit an endorsement letter to the LTFRB office, requesting for the grant of the special permit to a certain transport company, stating in said request the passengers who will be shuttled, and the name of the exempt establishment or essential industry classification whom the buses will cater to,” he added.
Local government units and government agencies that applied for special permits include Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV), Cebu Provincial Government, and the cities of Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, and Cebu.
Montealto warned that vehicles operating in the absence of a special permit will be tagged as ‘colorum.’ This means that the operators of these vehicles would face fines of up to P1 million, depending on the type of apprehended vehicle.
LTFRB-7, he said, has also started monitoring the compliance of PUV operators with conditions of the special permits issued by their office.
“We are trying to prevent unnecessary movement of people, therefore we are strictly monitoring all vehicles plying thoroughfares, to ensure that we are not defeating the reason why ECQ has been declared,” Montealto said.
Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino thanked Montealto and LTFRB 7 for issuing free special permits to the 15 Malasakit Buses that OPAV is deploying for the health workers in the hospitals around Cebu.
Since the Malasakit Bus was launched on March 19, these already ferried over 6,000 medical and health workers. / dcb