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Bus firms, ex-workers of Pantranco wage legal battle over 489 bus franchises


The recent Court of Appeals (CA) ruling on the contested Pantranco North Express Inc. franchise case denied a temporary restraining order request but did not declare the franchise as valid, according to Hazel Minoza, lawyer for the bus companies that petitioned the appeals court to nullify the order of the LTFRB. The petitioners in the case were the Philippine Rabbit Bus Lines Inc., Genesis Transport Service Inc. and Pangasinan Solid North Transit Inc. In its June 28 ruling, the CA refused to grant the petitioners' application for the issuance of a TRO or writ of preliminary injunction, saying they failed to show "urgency" in their request.   Reacting to the CA decision, the Pantranco Retrenched Employees Association (Panrea) and the Pantranco Employees Association (PEA) - to which the Pantranco franchise was awarded - said the denial of the TRO request meant that the franchises for the 489 bus units "were still valid and were not expired."   The assailed Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) resolution issued on May 21 paved the way for the auction of the Pantranco franchise to the retrenched employees. The defunct Pantranco went bankrupt in 1993.   The franchises were eventually awarded to the former employees to settle the back wages, separation pay and other financial obligations of the now defunct Pantranco to them.   The retrenched workers later sold the franchises to the Hernandez family, which owns Victory Liner, Luzon Cisco Transport, Bataan Transit, First North Luzon Bus Co. and Pangasinan Five Star.   In as statement, however, Minoza said the denial of their request for TRO does not necessarily mean the franchises sold to the Hernandez family were automatically valid.   "The statement from the workers that interpreted the non-grant of the TRO by the CA  as the equivalent of  a ruling  on the validity of the franchises is premature and irresponsible," Minoza said.   Minoza also warned the Panrea and PEA against issuing other "irresponsible statements."   Minoza said that issue on the franchises' validity was only the "next step" to be taken by the CA, now that it has decided to proceed with the case and not issue a TRO. — ELR, GMA News

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