‘Isnaberong taxi drivers’

BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon

COMMUTERS pissed off at taxi drivers who refuse them rides can now report these nincompoops at any Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board office.

The LTFRB launched Wednesday its “Oplan Isnabero” campaign to stop taxi drivers from contracting and refusing service to passengers.

LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra said the move was in anticipation of the expected increase in the number of commuters during the holidays.

Delgra said around 30 LTFRB enforcers and 90 personnel of the agency would be deployed in Metro Manila malls to protect passengers from erring cab drivers.

“This year, we made it a little bit innovative, entertaining and educational not only for taxi drivers but also for commuters with the use of standees and with the active participation of the mall operators,” he said.

The LTFRB will set up assistance desks in malls where the public can file complaints against taxi drivers. The agency signed a memorandum of agreement with mall owners for the implementation of Oplan Isnabero. 

Delgra said erring taxi drivers would be fined P5,000 for the first offense, P10,000 for the second and P15,000 as well as franchise revocation for the third offense. 

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If you still don’t have your car plates from the Land Transportation Office, here’s  news that will may make you feel better.  

The Dept. of Justice has approved the indictment of officials of the consortium that bagged the P3.8-billion contract of the Land Transportation Office in the previous administration for the controversial new car plates.

In a resolution released recently, investigating prosecutors found probable cause in the charges of estafa through falsification of commercial documents, false testimony and perjury, and violation of Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act against executives of local firm Power Plates Development Concepts Inc. (PPDCI) and Dutch company J. Knieriem B.V. Goes (JKG).

The DOJ found merit in the complaint filed by the Anti-Trapo Movement (ATM) in August 2013, which alleged that the officials of the PPDCI-JKG consortium “have consciously, intentionally and purposely submitted to an official government exercise what they know is an insufficient document and passing the same as authentic and accurate.”

Preliminary investigation showed respondents led by the consortium’s corporate secretary Ron Salo and managing director Christian Calalang submitted to the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) a document they said was the audited financial statement of JKG as a requirement for bidding for the Motor Vehicle License Plate Standardization Program (MVLPSP).

“However, upon careful examination of the said document, it turned out that it is not the audited financial statement of JKG. What the respondents submitted during the bidding were the 2011 annual accounts of respondent JKG issued by the Chamber of Commerce of The Hague, the Netherlands, the 2011 consolidated accounts of H3 BV (the parent company of JKG),” read the resolution by Assistant State Prosecutor Ricardo Estrabo.

The prosecutor cited as proof a letter from Calalang wherein he “admitted that they submitted the financial statement of H3 BV.”

“Thus, JKG and PPDCI submitted a falsified 2011 annual report and claimed it to be the audited financial statement of JKG because none such audited financial statement exists. Or if one exists, the contents will show that JKG is not qualified to bid for the DOTC (Department of Transportation and Communications)-LTO project,” the DOJ said.

“This would be the reasonable conclusion, especially since the respondents did not submit their countervailing evidence showing their financial capability to undertake the project,” the DOJ said.

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all in  this season of uncertainty and fear.