President Ferdinand Marcos ordered the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to intensify the crackdown on "colorum" or illegal public utility vehicles (PUVs) to ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila.
The President issued the directive to Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. and PNP chief Rommel Francisco Marbil during the Bagong Pilipinas Town Hall Meeting on Traffic Concerns held in San Juan City Wednesday.
Marcos said only PUVs with legitimate permits should be allowed to ferry passengers, adding that illegal PUVs worsen vehicular flow in major thoroughfares in Metro Manila.
"I realized that's it's a large number. Thirty percent of PUVs are colorum that's why I'm turning over the problem to the DILG Secretary since the police should enforce the laws," he said.
The national government will coordinate with local government units and other stakeholders in the implementation of the holistic plan to solve traffic congestion in Metro Manila, Marcos said.
"And hopefully many of the lessons that we will learn here in Metro Manila we will be able to apply in places like Cebu City where the problem of traffic is also pretty bad," he added.
Marcos urged PUV cooperatives and similar associations to police their own ranks and help authorities in the campaign against "colorum" vehicles.
"We will ensure that everybody has the appropriate franchise, belongs to cooperative, and they are recognized by the TODAs (transport organizations)," he added.
Abalos said his agency, as well as the PNP, the Department of Transportation, and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority will coordinate more closely in the renewed campaign against "colorum" vehicles.
Meanwhile, top officials of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) will confer with other law enforcement agencies in crafting a comprehensive plan to finally put an end to the illegal operation of "colorum" vehicles.
LTO chief Vigor Mendoza 2nd said that the anti-colorum campaign will be "more aggressive than before."
"Taking the cue from the President's directive, which was echoed by Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, the LTO intends to double time its efforts and widen its net by coordinating efforts with the PNP, PCG (Philippine Coast Guard) and SAICT (Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation)," Mendoza said after the Bagong Pilipinas Townhall Meeting.
He warned operators of colorum PUVs that they face up to six years imprisonment and a fine of up to P2 million if they are found guilty.
Among the officials who attended the town hall meeting were Abalos, Bautista, Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan and Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco.
Also present were MMDA acting chairman Romando Artes and several high-ranking officers of the Philippine National Police. Metro Manila mayors also attended the meeting.