LTFRB to decide on fate of firms in bus strike in January

The fate of a first batch of 36 bus firms linked to a bus strike in Metro Manila on November 15 will be known in mid-January, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said. LTFRB Chairman Nelson Laluces said the operators who joined the failed strike will have their franchises suspended. “If any of these operators are found guilty of franchise violations, their franchises are to be suspended," Laluces said in an article posted on the DOTC website on Wednesday. He said the cases of some 36 bus operators had been submitted for resolution. The first batch of the LTFRB’s resolutions on these cases will come out by the second week of January, and the second batch of the LTFRB’s resolutions will come out by February, he said. Since November 25, the LTFRB has been conducting marathon hearings on the cases of the bus firms that went on strike on November 15. Laluces said 74 bus operators were given a Notice to Explain. Out of the 74, the LTFRB has heard 65 cases, 36 of which were submitted for resolution, while 29 still have to file their position papers. He said the LTFRB will hear the nine remaining cases by January next year. More than 8,000 commuters were inconvenienced when bus operators staged a strike to protest the inclusion of buses in a number-coding scheme to address the traffic problem in Metro Manila. Laluces said bus operators who opted to file a position paper have until December 21 to do so. Failure on their part would mean that they are waiving their right to do so. Their cases would be deemed submitted for decisions based on the evidence the LTFRB has gathered.– VVP, GMANews.TV