CAGAYAN de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez is urging the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to suspend its requirement on public utility vehicles (PUVs) to install Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS e.g. GPS), Wifi service, CCTV and Dashboard cameras.
“The devices are added burden to drivers and operators who are still recovering their huge losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Rodriguez.
Such requirements according to Rodriguez are contained in the DOTr Department Order 2017-011 which is set to be implemented in full scale this year.
“I recommend the suspension of the installation of GNSS, Wifi, CCTV and dashboard devices which are very costly,” he said adding that these costs will surely be passed on to commuters.
Let us allow our drivers and operators to recover from the pandemic. After all, these devices do not guarantee the complete safety of passengers, Rodriguez explained.
”We have to consider also that oil prices are drastically increasing. We don’t want our drivers, especially my constituents in Cagayan de Oro to be paying for these devices when their earnings are supposed to be used to buy food for their children and family,” he added.
During the public transport stakeholder’s meeting of the LTFRB-10, Thursday, various taxi associations and jeepney cooperatives have met with Rodriguez to complain on these very burdensome requirements specially at this time of the Covid 19 pandemic.
According to LTFRB-10 Director Aminoden Guro, a quality GNSS device alone may cost P7,000 a year per unit, as LTFRB Chairman lawyer Martin Delgra pledged to bring the proposal of Rodriguez to DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade.
House deputy speaker Rodriguez thanked Delgra for committing to bring to the attention of Sec. Tugade the said reasonable concerns of the PUV sector. (Ben Balce)
