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Transport group marches to demand end to 'special permits'
Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Transportasyon (PMT) Press Release - March 17, 2008
Special permits a source of corruption in the agency, used to harass legal drivers and operators
Hundreds of jeepney drivers and operators marched today from V. Luna avenue to the main office of the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to demand a stop to the agency's issuance of special permits "to "bogus transport leaders" and uses these permits "to harass legitimate drivers and operators to accede to their wishes."
Ravenal de Castro, president of the UP Campus North Edsa Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association (UPCAMNEJODA), a member of the Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Transportasyon (PMT), revealed the incident that they had with another transport group, Pasang Masda, and told that they were being stopped from operating in their respective terminal for UP-North Edsa jeepneys.
"Pasang Masda President, Roberto Martin, forced some members of his group working the UP Campus-Pantranco route to ply the UP-North Edsa using a surreptitiously obtained Special Permit from the Land Transporatation and Franchise Regulatory Board-National Capital Region (LTFRB-NCR). Members of UPCAMNEJODA suddenly had competition in their legally-designated route," he said.
De Castro added that in place of UPCAMNEJODA's franchise to operate, which took months and thousands of pesos to secure, Martin was able to secure this Special Permit from Regional Director Emmanuel Mahipus in, surprisingly, less than one day, and only two hundred sixty (260) pesos. This permit will last for almost two (2) months.
"Martin is telling a big lie when he told LTFRB through a letter that the UPCAMNEJODA is abandoning their route. If only they bothered to check the alleged abandonment, instead of processing Martin's petition in only one day, they would have seen the UPCAMNEJODA jeepneys actively servicing the commuters in the area," de Castro added.
Greg Pajarillo, president
of PMT, decried that issuance of such "illegal permits" are very rampant
in LTFRB and is the main source of corruption for the agency.
"Corruption is rampant in
this government! We see and feel this corruption from top to bottom. It
is now the time for change," Pajarillo said. Early this morning, the UPCAMNEJODA
filed a petition to revoke the Special permit at the LTFRB.
"We are hoping that the expeditious manner in which the LTFRB dealt with Martin's petition would also apply in this case." Pajarillo concluded.
Ravenal De Castro - 09209062908
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