Dexter A. See
BAGUIO CITY — Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza ordered the outright cancellation of at least 19 certificates of public convenience (CPCs) issued by the Cordillera office of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to public utility jeepneys plying the route Plaza-Marville Homes in Irisan here since such franchises were found to have been irregularly issued.
Mendoza issued the cancellation after the Irisan Jeepney operators and Drivers Association, a rival group of the Plaza Marville Homes group, petitioned the DoTC to revoke the franchises issued to the latter due to alleged violation of the existing moratorium on the issuance of franchises to vehicles within the city and its neighboring areas.
Earlier, the city council endorsed the opening of the line Plaza-Marville Homes in the wake of a petition by thousands of residents who are not being provided with efficient service by the members of the IJODA provided that they will not be allowed to enter the city’s central business district.
However, the LTFRB-CAR had reportedly granted the 19 franchises to the applicants to ply the route Plaza Marville Homes and were allowed to enter the city’s central business district area and not at Cooyeesan mall area as defined by the local legislative body.
Mendoza said the deviation in the issued franchises was tainted with irregularity and the same had to be revoked.
The affected jeepney operators had been constantly lobbying before the city council to grant their request for them to be allowed to enter the city’s central business district area to lessen the burden of having to take two rides from their point of origin in Marville homes to the city.
They claimed the IJODA, which is supposed to provide service to their area, was not able to fulfill the provisions of the stipulated in the franchises issued them.
In his order, Mendoza directed the LTFRBCar to immediately effect the revocation and cancellation of the allegedly illegal franchises.
But the affected jeepney operators and drivers will appeal Mendoza’s decision as they challenged DOTC officials to conduct an ocular inspection in their area to see the real issue and not to depend on the misrepresentations of their rival jeepney organization.
According to the residents in the area, the cancellation of the franchises of the jeepneys servicing them is considered to be anti-poor and an affront to the Arroyo administration’s bid to provide convenient transportation to people in depressed communities.
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