Transport groups in Bohol compromise eyed on law against colorum vehicles

TAGBILARAN CITY , Philippines— Transport groups of Bohol have proposed for a compromise agreement over the joint administrative order of the Land Transportation Office and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board imposing higher penalties against operators of vehicles deemed as colorum.

Their main point for a compromise is the age limit of tourist vans or buses. The Joint Administrative Order 2014-01, or JAO, requires owners or operators to use current-year models otherwise their application for new franchise or for renewal of existing ones will be disapproved, thus their vehicles will be deemed colorum.

The groups, in a letter, sought for the intervention of Governor Edgar Chatto to lobby before concerned government agencies for a one-year moratorium on the implementation of the JAO, thus giving them time to comply with the order and to raise their sentiments on the impracticality of the order.

The transport groups said they are now afraid their units would be apprehended and slapped with higher penalties for violation of the JAO, as their vehicles no longer meet the new standards, particularly on the age limit of the units and the required model release year.

In their appeal, the groups said they are presently still in the process of recovering from the losses caused by the October 13 earthquake, and that many of them are still settling the loan amortization of their vehicles.

Many members of the transport groups also said they could hardly afford to buy new vehicles at this time of economic downturn in the province.

In response, Chatto endorsed the appeal of the transport groups through a letter, dated last June 20, addressed to LTFRB-Region 7 Director Ahmden Cuizon who, in turn, endorsed it to LTFRB Chairman Winston Ginez.

The letter to Ginez requests for the approval of the request of tourist van owners and operators in Bohol for a moratorium of one year in the campaign against colorum vehicles in Bohol.

Department of Tourism-7 Regional Director Rowena Montecillo also wrote DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, expressing her support to the petition for the approval of one-year moratorium, pending compliance of the new rules set in the JAO. The DOT-7 also assured that, after the moratorium, the JAO could be strictly implemented in Bohol.

LTO-Tagbilaran Registrar Sammy Alabat, for his part, said his office may forgo with the implementation of the JAO, with specific consideration on the concerns of the transport groups on the requirement of new or current-year model of vehicles.