Solon wants LTFRB abolished amid public transport woes

Senior Citizens party-list Representative Francisco Datol Jr. is pushing for the abolition of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) amid the transportation woes the public is experiencing.

Datol on Wednesday said he is intending to file a House bill seeking to abolish the LTFRB as he attended the meeting of the House Committee on Metro Manila Development to hear the concerns of the transport sector over the limited operations of public transportation.

Lawmakers have been pressing the LTFRB to give a date on when traditional jeepneys and UV Express will be allowed to operate again after they have been banned on the road when the enhanced community quarantine was declared in Metro Manila.

"Ginawa ko na ang aking House bill to abolish LTFRB. Yan po kasi kapag hindi natin in-abolish yan, magsisinungaling lang yan," Datol said.

"Hindi na kailangan gumawa pa tayo ng congressional investigation kasi nga kapag hindi nanumpa yan sa investigation ang mangyayari diyan, bolahan na lang tayo nang bolahan," he added.

LTFRB chair Martin Delgra has explained that they are following a "hierarchy" in gradually allowing different modes of public transportation to operate.

He even said that next week, both UV Express and traditional jeepneys will be allowed to operate.

But Delgra's explanation did not convince Datol.

"Bakit hindi nila pagsabay-sabayin, nasa GCQ na tayo? Yung 50 porsyento ng lahat ng sasakyan, palabasin na yan nang hindi mamatay sa gutom ang ating mga tsuper tsaka iba pa nating mga mahihirap na kababayan," he said.

"Palabasin na yan, kung anu-ano pa ginagawa nilang dahilan—ke may uunahin sila—di na dapat yun. Ngayon natin kailangan yan," he added.

Datol said that if officials of LTFRB had compassion, they would understand the plight of jeepney and UV Express drivers as well as of commuters who take these modes of transportation to go to work and earn a living.

"Kung sila ay may puso na kamukha naming halal ng bayan, naiintindihan namin hanggang doon sa baba, palagay ko pinalabas nila ang bus isinabay nila ang jeep," he said.

Datol said he would get his fellow congressmen to support the bill he is filing to have the LTFRB abolished.

"Gagawin ko itong aking batas, papipirmahin ko lahat ang kongresista. Senior citizen lang na congressman mahigit 100," he said.

"Pagkatapos itong aming party-list pa, itong 23 na congressman namin ng [Committee on] Metro Manila [Development] palagay ko naman e ma-abolish na yan, i-under na lang yan sa Franchise Committee ng Congress," he added.  —LDF, GMA News