30% of 'colorum' drivers 'armed and dangerous'

MANILA, Philippines - The Land Transportation Office (LTO) is alarmed that drivers of “colorum” public utility vehicles (PUVs) are “armed and dangerous,” as a number of them are retired police officers or soldiers or still in active service, an official said yesterday.

LTO-National Capital Region director Teofilo Guadiz said almost 30 percent of colorum vehicles encountered by LTO enforcers are either driven by off-duty or retired policemen and soldiers or operated by one. The term colorum refers to unregistered vehicles or those driven outside their registered route.

As the LTO strengthens its campaign to apprehend and put a stop to the operation of PUVs without franchises, Guadiz said colorum operators and drivers are carrying firearms and other deadly weapons.

“Our men have encountered drivers who are armed. Making it more difficult is the fact that some of them are military and police personnel moonlighting as drivers,” Guadiz said. “The streets are getting dangerous every day.”

Guadiz instructed LTO enforcers to avoid confrontations with uniformed personnel driving colorum PUVs. He said they should get the drivers’ names to report to the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

“As we do not want to put anyone in harm’s way, we will avoid any altercations and just coordinate and report with the PNP and AFP so they can police their own ranks,” he said.

Guadiz said civilian PUV drivers wielding firearms will be turned over to the police and charged.  

He also appealed to motorists to help them clean up the streets by reporting colorum operators and drivers as well as their known protectors to hotline numbers 438-8688 and 0915-5832662. He said all reports will be treated with utmost confidentiality.

“While we understand the need of our brothers in the service to augment their income, we appeal to them to level the playing field by going legitimate and securing the proper franchises,” Guadiz said.