The Cordillera Infrastructure Development Committee (InfraCom) endorsed to the Regional Development Council (RDC-CAR) the request of the Baguio City Sangguniang Panlungsod for the extension of the deadline for filing of the applications for the consolidation of the public utility vehicles (PUVs).

Baguio City Councilor Benny Bomogao said that some transport groups in the city encountered problems that hindered them from filing their applications for consolidation on the set deadline of the Land Transportation and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) last March 31, 2021 in compliance with Department of the Transportation Department Order No. 2017-011. A group of 28 PUV driver-operators was able to consolidate themselves but was not able to beat the last deadline.

The deadline for filing of application was already extended thrice from the original March 18, 2019 deadline per DOTR MC 2018-008. The first extension was to June 30, 2020 per DOTR MC 2019-066, the second was to December 31,2020 per LTFRB BR 62 and BR 100 series of 2020, and the third was to March 31,2021 per DOTR MC 2020-084

LTFRB-CAR OIC-Regional Director Lalaine E. Sobremonte said that under Memorandum Circular 2021-021, transport groups who failed to file their application for consolidation on the March 31,2021 deadline are allowed to operate under a Provisional Authority issued by the LTFRB which is valid for one year. These groups are given one year to acquire Omnibus Franchising Guideline (OFG) compliant units for them to join the consolidated entities who applied before the deadline.

The Committee approved the endorsement of the request to the RDC with the recommendation to expand the coverage to the whole region.

(Source: NEDA-CAR, photo courtesy by Joseph Manzano, RPN DZBS Baguio OIC)