DOTr apprehends 64 colorum vehicles in Baguio City

CITY OF BAGUIO – The Department of Transportation (DOTr)-Cordillera has apprehended some 64 colorum vehicles since January 2018.
This was reported by Lawyer Laird Urbanozo, legal officer of DOTr, during an interview on Monday (July 9).
According to Urbanozo, 13 out of the 64 apprehended vehicles had been released after court hearing and paying a specific penalty fee, but the remaining 51 and other impounded vehicles are still in the impounding area of DOTr in the city.
“Madami pa po ang mga unsettled violations na nahuli [noong] 2016 and 2017; nakapending pa lang ‘yong kaso nila kasi, it’s either nasustain ‘yong mga violations nila or hindi na sila nagfile ng protest…at hindi nila tinutubos,” he added.
Urbanozo also mentioned the corresponding penalty fee for vans which is P200,000 and P1,000,000 for buses.
He said all the apprehended vehicles unredeemed by the owners can only be kept in the impounding area for up to six months. The vehicles, after six months, will be disposed or sold.
“Meron kaming disposal committee, if nag-exceed na ng six months at hindi pa tinutubos, iya-assess na namin for market value. Iya-appraise namin together with COA [Commission on Audit], then we will conduct a public auction,” Urbanozo explained.
One of the main problems of the said agency is the lack of personnel to implement the apprehension of colorum vehicles, because in Cordillera, there are only nine apprehending officers who are constantly operating for the said apprehension and this is the reason why Urbanozo is urging to have more personnel officers in the region.
“Sana mas madagdagan ‘yong mga personnel officers dahil kung mas maraming tao mas maisasagawa nang mas mabuti ang panghuhuli,” he added.
Another problem he mentioned is about the space for the impounded vehicles, because the designated area can no longer accommodate the large numbers for the impounded vehicles. It was sometime in May this year, that the city government of Baguio has approved the use of portion of Baguio Athletic Bowl as a temporary impounding area for the apprehended vehicles.
Urbanozo ended the interview by saying that the operators should faithfully comply with the terms and conditions of their franchise, because according to him, the franchise they have is a privilege given to them by the government to serve the public. ROMELO DUPO III, UC INTERN

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