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October 21, 2023 Opinion

Anyway that you look at it allegations of corruption within the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is already stale news. No one would even come out to contradict rumors, reports, and exposes such as the latest corruption allegation by supposed “whistleblower”
Jeffrey Tumbado, a former executive assistant of LTFRB, since it is already an open secret, at least to those who had dealings with the LTFRB that shady dealings are the usual norm.

This has been happening already for the longest time and yet it is ironic that when we finally have someone ostensibly brave enough to expose shenanigans within the said office he would suddenly have a change of heart, not once but twice in as many days and weeks after his first revelation of corruption in the LTFRB. It is quite disheartening to find out that Mr. Tumbado after telling the public that corruption is rife in the LTFRB would suddenly recant his statement just a few days later and then just recently again insist that his earlier claim of corruption is true.

For whatever reason with respect to his recantation he should have already stuck to his earlier pronouncement since almost everyone, from Juan to Pedro, already believes that LTFRB is a tainted apple and were only waiting for it to fall and lay bare its stink to the public. If there is ever an agency of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) that needs an overhaul then LFTRB should get the honor. For the longest time it has abused and twisted one of its functions as provided in the Public Service Act which created it.

That function has to do with the power of the LTFRB to “To issue, amend, revise, suspend or cancel
Certificates of Public Convenience or permits authorizing the operation of public land transportation services provided by motorized vehicles, and to prescribe the appropriate terms and conditions therefore”. The vision of the LTFRB also states that “the agency looks forward to offering world-class land transportation services which will contribute to the overall development of the country, improvement of the socioeconomic status of its stakeholders, and the promotion of the welfare of the general public.

But if you take a look at the public transportation system right now you would notice that it has
become chaotic due to the presence of too many vehicles plying the roads causing traffic gridlocks and bottlenecks. And even if government can somehow find a way to manage traffic we can already discern that the root of the problem lies in the mismanagement of the transportation system itself.
If you want a more stark illustration of this problem take a look at the traffic problem of the city of Baguio.

Short of digging subterranean tunnels for vehicles to pass through no amount of management ability will be enough to finally solve the traffic congestion in the city. Why? The City Mayor already disclosed that forty percent of vehicles traversing our roads and streets in the city