Transport group to stage rally vs insurance consortium

MANILA, Philippines -  Transport group Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations (ACTO) is set to hold a rally at the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Insurance Commission this week to push for the suspension of an insurance consortium.

ACTO president Efren de Luna said they are seeking the suspension of the Universal Insurance Transport Accident Agency Solutions (Unitrans) consortium to protect thousands of drivers whose insurance claims may not be recognized or paid by the firm.

De Luna said some P9 million worth of insurance policy forms were allegedly stolen by Unitrans employees, which might be blamed for cases of unpaid or unrecognized passenger personal accident insurance (PPAI) claims of victims of road mishaps involving public utility jeepneys and buses.

“We are demanding that the LTFRB and the Insurance Commission immediately suspend the operation of Unitrans and stop accepting insurance policies from the consortium or more operators might buy PPAI policies from them whose claims will not be paid or recognized later on,” De Luna told The STAR.

He said they would press the LTFRB and the IC to move against Unitrans and protect insurance claimants.

The National Bureau of Investigation filed last week qualified theft cases before the Pasig City Prosecutor’s Office against three Unitrans employees for the alleged theft of insurance policy forms.

ACTO said the pilferage could result in confusion for about 9,000 policyholders as it is still unclear if Unitrans would honor their policies.

Unitrans is a consortium of non-life insurance companies that sells PPAI and third-party liability policies and facilitates claims for accidents involving passenger vehicles.

According to NBI records, the missing forms were insurance policies issued by Stronghold Insurance Company, one of the accredited non-life insurance companies under the Unitrans consortium.

Aside from ACTO, Piston and the Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (FEJODAP) will push for Unitrans’ suspension. – Rainier Allan Ronda