By Nanette Guadalquiver
BACOLOD CITY – This city government assists unlicensed operators and drivers to legitimize their operations as thousands of passenger tricycles ply the roads without the necessary permits.
Data on Friday showed that 2,375 of the 4,647 registered motorized tricycles here have motorized tricycle operator’s permits (MTOP) from the city government.
Councilor Al Victor Espino, chairman of the City Council’s committee on transportation and traffic, said in a statement the local Task Force Kontra Colorum aims to ensure the safe operation of all tricycles on the city’s roads with proper franchise adherence.
“Through the task force, we will help protect the tricycle operators and drivers associations through a legal process,” he said.
Colorum refers to unregistered public utility vehicles.
On Wednesday, Espino led the meeting of the Task Force Kontra Colorum, attended by Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO) acting head Patrick Lacson, City Administrator Lucille Gelvolea, Sectoral Affairs Office head Carmeli Bantug-Zayco and Business Permits and Licensing Office head Stela Rayos.
Volunteers from various barangays trained by the city government to support the anti-colorum operations also joined the meeting.
The meeting focused on ensuring that passenger tricycle operators possess the Land Transportation Office official receipt or certificate of registration, driver’s license, and MTOP as prerequisites for operation.
BTAO acting deputy head Jose Antonio Robello said volunteers will also undergo retraining.
In an earlier executive order creating the Task Force Kontra Colorum, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said, “there is a need for an intensive campaign against “colorum” tricycles to address the proliferation of illegal units and the increasing number of traffic accidents involving tricycles in the city.
City Ordinance 650 enumerates the number of franchises for each barangay and tricycle association, but there is still a build-up of colorum tricycles on the streets, he added. (PNA)
