Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez on Friday, September 2, asked the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) officials to grant 3,887 public utility jeepneys in Bacolod City special permits or provisional authorities to operate in the meantime, Diego Malacad, Negros Bacolod Transport Coalition secretary general, said.
The mayor also asked that arrests be held off while he raises their concerns with Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista, Malacad said.
Malacad said drivers and operators representatives met with LTFRB Regional Director Richard Osmeña in the presence of Benitez on Friday because 99 percent of the PUJs in Bacolod are unregistered.
“The LTFRB 6 will not register us because they want us to become members of their recognized cooperatives for the jeepney modernization program,” he said.
Malacad asked why they are not allowed to register with the cooperative of their choice under the principle of free enterprise.
He said the 3,887 current PUJs plying the streets of Bacolod will nolonger be allowed to operate after March 31, 2023, which has been set as the deadline for them to shift to the use modern jeepneys.
If these current PUJs are not granted provisional authorities to operate for now, there are not enough modern jeepneys in Bacolod yet to serve the needs of the riding public, Malacad added.*