After repeatedly declaring that the April 30 consolidation deadline for the PUV Modernization Program (PUVMP) is final, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is now joining hands with two other agencies to crack down on public utility vehicles that will be declared ‘colorum’ beginning May 1, 2024.
The DOTr, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), through the participation of the Special Project Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP-SPG), have signed a memorandum of agreement to form a joint task force that will carry out anti-colorum operations in Metro Manila. They will be assisting the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transport Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in apprehending PUV operators and drivers who fail to consolidate on or before April 30.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
Pasay City sinkhole update: Senator wants Maynilad penalized
Explainer: How to register e-bikes and other light electric vehicles with the LTO
“Ang ating deadline for consolidation will end on April 30, and yung mga hindi mag-ko-consolidate ay hindi na mare-renew ang kanilang prangkisa,” said Secretary Jaime Bautista of the DOTr. “They will be considered colorum, so kasama sila sa mga huhulihin natin sa May 1 kung mag-o-operate sila.”
From March 12 to April 15 alone, the MMDA and the DILG’s anti-colorum team made 56 colorum apprehensions and 44 out-of-line apprehensions, as well as impounded 100 units and arrested three persons. Fines range anywhere from P6,000 to P1 million, and to give you an idea of the amount generated from penalties, in December 2023, the DOTr collected P20.8 million from anti-colorum operations.
Aside from helping legitimate PUV operators who reportedly lose 35% of their income to colorum vehicles, Bautista claimed that cracking down on illegal operators will improve Metro Manila traffic: “If we can decrease 90% of colorum operations, this is of big help to the legitimate transport operators and a huge relief to the usual traffic flow.”
