Bus firm’s plates seized after enforcer kidnapped, threatened

MANILA, Philippines - The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) confiscated yesterday the license plates of a bus firm’s entire fleet after a driver and conductor reportedly kidnapped and threatened a traffic enforcer.

The plates of JFT Liner’s 29 buses were seized after the firm’s franchises were found to have apparently expired, LTFRB executive director Roberto Cabrera III said.

The bus firm’s troubles started Friday when one of its bus drivers was accosted by enforcer Don Dimayuga for cruising along EDSA with the bus door open, which was a traffic violation, Cabrera said.

When Dimayuga boarded the bus, he was allegedly offered P500 by the driver. When he turned it down, the driver refused to let him go. The bus then sped off.

“The conductor even threatened to hit Dimayuga with a steel pipe,” Cabrera said in an interview.

The enforcer was eventually able to jump from the bus as it reached Ortigas Avenue. Dimayuga’s knees “snapped” but he has recovered from the injuries, Cabrera said.

He said the bus firm would now be the subject of a more comprehensive investigation.