Transport agencies were adamant in their position to penalize operators whose units commit the out-of-line violation in the Joint Administrative Order (JAO) 2014-01.
Winston Ginez, chairman of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB, said drivers who operate outside their approved routes commit the out-of-line violation and their units are considered colorum.
“It is not just the drivers but the operators as well. The operators should be the first people that discipline the drivers. We will not revise nor amend the colorum violation including the out of line,” Ginez said.
Yesterday’s dialogue between the LTFRB, Land Transportation Office and Cebu’s transport groups was held at the MIP Lounge of the Mactan Cebu International Airport following the recent transport strikes held in Cebu and the rest of the country.
During the dialogue, Ryan Yu of the Cebu Integrated Transport Service Cooperative (Citrasco) asked LTFRB and the LTO to revise the provisions of the out of line violation.
No problems
Yu said the operators shouldn’t be immediately penalized if their driver commits the violation.
“We check our units everyday and verify our documents. Drivers are out of the control of the operators when they are already on the road,” he said.
Yu suggested that if the vehicle isn’t properly documented and the driver committed an out-of-line violation then the regulatory agencies can charge the operators.
“I just would like to clarify that we are not against the colorum. We also have no problems about the fines. What I want to say is there should be some revisions of its provisions because there are some peculiarities about it,” he said.
Romeo Armamento, vice president of National Confederation of Transport Workers Union (NCTWU) also said the JAO can be abused by LTO personnel.
LTO Executive Director Emillano Bantog Jr. assured transport leaders that they won’t tolerate “corruption” within their ranks.
But he said they will consider Armamento’s appeal to amend the provisions that suspend the licenses of erring drivers.
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