By Jennifer P. Rendon
A driver and his operator were arrested on Oct. 25 for operating a colorum or unregistered passenger vehicle.
The driver, Aloysius Perocho Labayno, and operator Julius Cumaya Perocho were intercepted along the bypass road at Barangay Duyan-Duyan, Sta. Barbara, Iloilo.
According to the Land Transportation Office (LTO) Region 6, the agency’s Special Colorum Team (SCT) flagged down a Nissan Urvan van (license plate NGX-1956) while stationed at the entrance of the Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan, Iloilo.
The van, carrying 13 passengers, reportedly came from Antique province.
Passengers claimed they paid fares between PHP 200 and PHP 500 for trips from Sibalom and San Jose, Antique, to SM City Iloilo and Iloilo International Airport.
SCT personnel also discovered that the vehicle’s owner, identified as Glorime Panaguiton Perocho, was among the passengers.
Labayno was asked to present his driver’s license and the vehicle’s current original receipt and certificate of registration.
Meanwhile, Glorime provided a long-term lease agreement, which was found to be non-compliant with the standards in Memorandum Circular 2024-038.
Atty. Gaudioso P. Geduspan II, LTO Region 6 officer-in-charge and regional director, said the driver and operator would face charges for violating Republic Act No. 11659, an amendment to Commonwealth Act No. 146, or the Public Service Act.
They were subsequently handed over to the Sta. Barbara Municipal Police Station for case processing.
The van was impounded at the LTO Motor Vehicle Inspection Center in San Miguel, Iloilo.
Geduspan stated that this operation was part of the Department of Transportation’s DOTr-LTO “OPLAN Biyaheng Ayos: UNDAS 2024” campaign.
In a similar incident last July, another colorum vehicle was apprehended while plying the San Jose, Antique, to Iloilo International Airport route.
LTO Region 6 previously warned that violators found guilty could face imprisonment of six years and one day up to 10 years.
A conviction could also entail a penalty of up to PHP 2 million, in addition to the PHP 200,000 administrative fine.
