LEGAZPI: The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Bicol (LTFRB-5) has started issuing show cause orders to operators who have not applied to consolidate operations as part of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program after the April 30 deadline, the agency's regional chief said on Tuesday. In an interview on the sidelines of Tuesday's 'Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas' forum here, LTFRB-Bicol Regional Director Joel Defeo said the show cause order is part of the due process to let the operators explain why they did not participate in the government program. "It was indicated in the Certificate of Public Convenience that they will abide by the rules and regulations that the government may issue. We will not cancel their franchise without due process. We will show-cause them, we will conduct a hearing, and after the due process, their franchise may be canceled," Defeo said. He said their office will not issue confirmation to unconsolidated jeepney operators, which may result in the appreh ension of unregistered PUVs by the Land Transportation Office (LTO). "Almost all of the unconsolidated operators have already received their show cause order. We are working on some difficulties in serving the show cause order on the two island provinces and locating the operators. We served the order in different terminals in the six provinces," he said. Defeo said the PUV Modernization Program is part of the commitment of the Philippine government to the Paris Convention to mitigate climate change. "The PUVs are one of the contributors to climate change in greenhouse gases due to carbon emissions," he added. LTFRB Bicol continues to provide social support to operators and drivers affected by the modernization. "For the displaced operators and drivers, we are assisting the government. For the immediate, we have the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged and Displaced Workers (TUPAD) of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the tsuper scholars. The displaced drivers and conductors can apply to those operators who modernized; they can also provide training not just for drivers but also for mechanics," he said. Defeo further said that to ensure the safety of passengers, in coordination with LTO, they conduct driver training and orientation with assessments from the organizations. Based on the record, 257 operators out of the 401 received the show-cause order from LTFRB. Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Office in Bicol (LTO-5) drive-thru motor vehicle registration now provides easy services and registration among motorists in the six provinces in the region. "With these LTO drive-thru motor vehicle registration facilities, we were able to receive positive feedback from clients and local government units. Average registration and renewal processing time can be 20 minutes or less," LTO-Bicol Regional Director Francisco Ranches Jr. said also during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipina s. He added that for the new registration process, their timeline must be completed within five days with complete documentary requirements, while for dealers, it must be within six days after sales. "Road safety is our highest priority and greatest responsibility," he said. Ranches said the intensified programs in road safety decreased the recorded unregistered motorcycle vehicles in the region. From the recorded 609,466 unregistered motor vehicles in 2022, there are only 344,616 so far this year. Under the No Registration, No Travel Policy program, Ranches said they apprehended 1,932 unregistered motorcycles from January to April 2024. He added the LTO-Bicol targets collecting PHP1.3 billion in revenue this year. As of April, they already collected PHP398.7 million, or 29.25 percent of their target. Source: Philippines News Agency