The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Region 13 (LTFRB-13) said it has collected over PHP12 million from fines paid by “colorum” operators in the Caraga Region from March 2018 to November this year.

“We have intensified our anti-colorum operations this year in accordance with the directive of DOTR Secretary Arthur Tugade to get rid of unsecured public utility vehicles by July 1, 2020,” LTFRB-13 OIC Regional Director Maria Kristina Cassion said.

Cassion also took note of the decrease in the number of apprehended colorum vehicles this year compared to 2018.

“This means that more public utility vehicles in Caraga are already covered with franchises and are no longer colorum,” she said.

This year, LTFRB-13 conducted a total of 89 operations that led to the apprehension and impoundment of 95 colorum vehicles that are utilized for public transportation.

Last year, a total of 169 vehicles were impounded by the agency in the region for a lack of franchises. The impounded vehicles include buses, vans, jeeps, and multicabs.

A colorum bus unit has a corresponding fine of PHP1 million; PHP200,000 for colorum passenger van; and PHP50,000 for colorum multicab.

Of the 95 operators apprehended this year, Cassion said 25 have already paid their fines with a total amount of P3.54 million.

“We do not stop upon the payment of fines. We help operators process and acquire franchises to make their operations legal,” Cassion said.

Through industry consolidation, operators and drivers in Caraga Region are assisted by LTFRB-13 in acquiring franchises, she added.

Industry consolidation includes helping operators and drivers form cooperatives and corporations to acquire franchises and the opening of more routes in the region, Cassion said.

“The industry consolidation has contributed to the decrease of colorum vehicles in the region,” she added.

Caraga Region now has 23 transport cooperatives and six transport corporations with franchises operating in different routes in the area, Cassion said.

She said LTFRB-13 also holds a regular “Kapehan” every third Monday of the month to address the issues of operators and drivers, particularly on the processes of forming cooperatives and corporations and in acquiring franchises. (PNA)