LTFRB: Bus firms involved in strike may go 'unpunished' ‘til 2011

Because "due process" should be respected, bus firms that took part in last Monday's strike may go unpunished – if proven guilty – until at least early 2011, authorities admitted Thursday. Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairman Nelson Laluces said hearings will take time as these will be done separately for each bus firm. "Mag-uumpisa kami ng hearing, probably the earliest would be next week, hindi sabay-sabay yan ... Ang notice sabay-sabay ipalalabas pero ang hearing hindi magagawa ng sabay-sabay, napakarami nito," Laluces said in an interview on dwIZ radio. (We will start hearings next week at the earliest. But we do so separately because we cannot do them simultaneously.) When asked if the hearings will spill over to early 2011, he said, "opo (yes)." Until then, he said the LTFRB will have to respect due process. "Ating gagawing lahat na matuloy ang prosesong ito (We will just have to do everything possible to keep the process going)," he said when told public outrage over Monday's strike may have cooled off by 2011. Earlier, the LTFRB said up to 100 of 140 bus firms may face sanctions for Monday's strike, which inconvenienced some 8,500 commuters. The sanctions may range from suspension to outright cancellation of the bus firms' franchises. Last Monday, several buses did not ply their routes, as their operators opposed the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority's number-coding scheme that aims to solve traffic congestion in Metro Manila's major thoroughfares. Under the scheme, provincial and city buses will be barred from Metro Manila on a certain day, depending on the last digit of their plate numbers. After receiving backlash from the public, bus operators insisted they did not go on strike last Monday and blamed the incident on "miscommunication" with their drivers. — LBG, GMANews.TV