The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will suspend its apprehension of trucks for hire without a provisional authority (PA) to operate until the situation at the ports normalizes.
The moratorium, however, only applies to trucks servicing the ports of Manila so they can help in decongestion efforts at the country’s main gateways. LTFRB chairman Winston Ginez said this is a “special consideration” to the 2,145 trucks servicing Manila ports that have yet to secure a PA from the LTFRB. But it is not a license for such trucks to violate the truck ban.
“We don’t want to leave the (Port of Manila) at a standstill. We should consider the bigger impact on industries,” Ginez said. “This is of a bigger national interest than (stopping) colorum operations.”
The order effectively suspends, starting August 21, a portion of Joint Administrative Order (JAO) No. 2014-01. Signed on June 2 by the Department of Transportation and Communications, LTFRB and Land Transportation Office, the JAO revised the fines and penalties for all illegally operating public utility (colorum) vehicles, including trucks and buses. Under the order, trucks for hire without a franchise face a fine of P200,000.
LTFRB said the stay on the joint order is fully supported by Transport Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya.
Trucks without provisional authority to operate and not servicing the ports of Manila are therefore still subject to apprehension.
In order to identify which trucks service Manila ports, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) will issue a port user certificate to truck owners starting August 26. A PPA source said the certificate is valid for a limited period only, just enough to give operators time to apply for a PA.
Ginez said the LTFRB received 33,000 permit applications from operators of trucks-for-hire ahead of the Aug. 15 deadline. Of this number, about 12,000 trucks have operations to Manila ports. Of the 12,000, about 2,000 have yet to secure PAs.
The logjam at ports is blamed by many sectors on the expanded daytime truck ban implemented by the city of Manila in late February. The issuance of the JAO did not help the situation any with many trucks for hire, at one point, refusing to operate for fear of being slapped a substantial fine. Prior to the JAO, a predominant number of trucks did not have a franchise.
According to PPA, congestion at Manila ports continues to decline with yard utilization now at 87% to 90% from the previous more than 100%.
The Lower House last week passed an omnibus resolution requesting the City of Manila to lift its truck ban for three months to ease congestion at Manila ports. – Roumina Pablo
