Gov’t apprehends over 2K ‘colorum’ PUVs

Data from the I-ACT showed that a total of 2,470 colorum PUVs were apprehended from July 2016 up to April this year which is higher than the 1,744 vehicles apprehended during the administration of former President Benigno Aquino III from June 30, 2010 to June 30, 2016. (Photo: Jorge Láscar/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

MANILA — The Inter-Agency Council on Traffic (I-ACT) has apprehended more than 2,000 colorum or unregistered public utility vehicles (PUVs) nationwide since the Duterte administration assumed office on July 2016.

Data from the I-ACT showed that a total of 2,470 colorum PUVs were apprehended from July 2016 up to April this year which is higher than the 1,744 vehicles apprehended during the administration of former President Benigno Aquino III from June 30, 2010 to June 30, 2016.

A total of PHP305.59 million were collected in fines and penalties for traffic violations since the start of the Duterte administration compared to the PHP11.21 million collected during the previous administration.

The increase in figures was attributed to the intensified operations being conducted by I-ACT and the creation of Task Force Kamao led by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) which is in charge of clearing colorum PUVs in major roads nationwide.

“Despite being more than just a year in office, we were able to accomplish our goal to eliminate these kinds of vehicles and even surpass the previous admin’s record,”Transportation Undersecretary for Road Transport and I-ACT chief Tim Orbos said.

“We owe it to the public and their increased awareness of the perils these colorum vehicles might bring to them. Through their cooperation and participation coursed through our complaint channels, we were able to identify areas with prevalent colorum activities and easily apprehend them,”he added.

I-ACT recorded a total of 4,132 traffic violators apprehended from January to May 24 increasing by 99.9 percent compared to 1,379 from September to December 2017.

Apart from Metro Manila, the traffic council has also conducted its anti-colorum and Tanggal Bulok Tanggal Usok operations in Rizal, Cavite, Pampanga, Laguna, Boracay, Caticlan, Davao, Cebu, and Pangasinan.

Aside from the LTFRB, I-ACT consists of the  Department of Transportation, Land Transportation Office, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the PNP-Highway Patrol Group.