The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has issued 379 special permits to public utility vehicles (PUVs) for the 46 opened routes in Pangasinan as of July 16.

In the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkasters sa Pilipinas Pangasinan chapter virtual forum on Thursday, LTFRB assistant regional director Anabel Marzan-Nullar said the issuance of the special permit for public transportation is still ongoing.

“Although public transportation is still limited as we are still under quarantine (modified general community quarantine), gradually, it will go back to normal,” she said.

Nullar said the LTFRB prioritizes giving special permits to PUV operators that are already members of cooperatives, corporations, associations consolidated under LTFRB, and individual operators.

“We give priority to modernized jeepneys but given the situation, we have also approved traditional jeepneys. Amid the pandemic, the PUV modernization program continues,” she said.

She also appealed to the drivers and operators who were given special permits to follow the set guidelines for public transport under the new normal, including the 50-percent capacity of passengers, disinfection every after one trip, sanitization, wearing of the face mask of drivers, and passengers and temperature, among others.

Meanwhile, Nullar said the LTFRB is coordinating with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the emergency cash subsidy for the PUV drivers.

“We have submitted a list of over 9,000 drivers from the entire Ilocos Region but so far, only those from the National Capital Region have received their subsidy. DSWD is currently validating the list from Ilocos Region to ensure that those in the list have not yet received any from the other government agencies,” she added. (PNA)