The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-10 (LTFRB) urged the riding public on Tuesday to report drivers and operators who violate existing health protocols against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

LTFRB-10 director Aminoden Guro said passengers should post health protocol violations among public transport personnel on social media.

Infractions such as failure of public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers to wear a face mask and face shield and allowing passengers who are violating the same rules have corresponding penalties, Guro said.

“It would be better if private citizens will take photos of these violators and upload them to the LTFRB-10 Facebook page as evidence, so the operators cannot deny the violation,” Guro said.

He said complainants should include in their Facebook post the description of the PUV and other important details.

Guro said they have penalized several violators in the past weeks for failing to strictly follow the health measures inside public utility vehicles, including the disinfection of plastic barriers in jeepneys.

For the first offense, a violator is fined PHP5,000; PHP10,000 for the second offense; and PHP15,000 for the third offense.

PUJs are also required to accommodate 50 percent of their total capacity, while buses and vans are required to adopt a one-seat-apart policy for commuters.

“Penalizing offenders is one way of reminding our PUV operators and drivers that we are serious in our campaign to keep our public transport system safe from the coronavirus,” Guro said.

Aside from imposing penalties, he said the LTFRB can also sanction violators by not issuing them special permits.

He said the compliance with the health protocols by commuters and PUV drivers alike is very necessary to ensure that the coronavirus would not spread further within the region, specifically in major urban centers like this city and Iligan City

City Health Office records show that as of October 19, the city has a total of 1,278 positive Covid-19 cases, 344 of which are active, with 57 deaths, and 847 recoveries.

Of the total cases, 931 are classified as local transmission while returning residents account for the 347 cases. (PNA)

Photo Credit: www.pia.gov.ph