Senior Superintendent Abubakar Mangelen, the new city police chief, said the owners of the impounded vehicles would be penalized and fined, and together with their drivers, would undergo lectures on public transport laws.
He said they are now validating intelligence reports that some of the impounded passenger vans had been used in criminal activities.
According to local officials, the number of public utility vehicles operating in the city has increased by more than tenfold in the past years, exceeding the supposed allowable number of units.
Mangelen said many of the impounded passenger vans had been using illegal terminals in the city proper.
"We only have three legitimate terminals," he said.
Mangelen said their campaign against illegal passenger vans and terminals has the support of Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema, who chairs the city peace and order council. — John Unson