Tugade: IACT to draw up action plan against colorum vehicles

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade on Saturday said the government's  Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (IACT) will meet on Monday to draw a plan on how to rid the country of colorum public utility vehicles (PUV).

"Ang pagmi-meeting-an kung paano lulusubin, kung papano susuyurin, kung papaano sila papagitil para h indi na babaybay sa ating mga kalsada," Tugade said in an interview on state-run Radyo Pilipinas with Communications Secretary Martin Andanar.

He said the meeting will be attended by representatives from the Philippine National Police's Highway Patrol Group, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and officials from local government units.

He said they will also discuss how to make the anti-colorum drive national, based on the order of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte issued the order on Friday as he was recalling the Dimple Star bus accident in Occidental Mindoro that left 19 people dead and 21 others injured.

During the interview, Andanar said the Dimple Star Transport has committed violations of the law for its involvement in deadly bus crashes every year.

He suggested that the governments should also look at the violations of other bus companies.

Tugade, meanwhile, said the Dimple Star accident underscores the need for the government to push through with the PUV modernization programs, which targets old and smoke-belching passenger vehicles, particularly jeepneys.

"Ilan pa ang gusto ninyong mamatay upang maniwala kayo na kailangan na natin iyong modernisasyon?" he said. —ALG, GMA News