By Mariela Angella Oladive
Iloilo City has fully implemented the Enhanced Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) starting Monday, May 27.
This means that all provisions of the LPTRP ordinance, which delineates 25 routes, must now be strictly followed.
As part of the implementation, there is strict and simultaneous monitoring and operations against unconsolidated traditional jeepneys, now classified as “colorum” vehicles—an informal term in the Philippines for unregistered or unauthorized public transport vehicles.
Under the new ordinance, only jeepneys consolidated within cooperatives are permitted to operate. Unconsolidated jeepneys are subject to apprehension and penalties.
To enforce this policy, over 40 personnel from the Iloilo City Traffic Management Unit (ICTMU) have been deployed across various locations in the city to monitor traffic conditions and identify non-compliant vehicles.
Retired Col. Uldarico Garbanzos, head of the ICTMU, stated that specific traffic inspection areas have been established to check if jeepneys are consolidated into cooperatives and adhere to the prescribed routes.
“Jeepneys without the official sticker will be considered unconsolidated,” Garbanzos explained. These stickers, issued by the Iloilo City Government, indicate the designated route of each jeepney by color, ensuring proper identification and compliance.
Garbanzos emphasized that ICTMU operations will focus on violators of the LPTRP ordinance, while the apprehension of colorum vehicles falls under the jurisdiction of the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
“Drivers and operators must adhere to the guidelines set by the relevant government agencies as part of the modernization program,” Halley Alcarde, General Manager of the Western Visayas Transport Cooperative (WVTC) emphasized.
Public vehicles from first-town municipalities are now allowed only 25% of their total number of units to enter the city, with strict monitoring by ICTMU in collaboration with transport groups. However, on weekends and holidays, all public vehicles from these municipalities will be permitted entry.
As of now, 520 modernized units are operational on various routes under the LPTRP, which include 17 rationalized routes and 8 developmental routes, alongside 1,692 traditional jeepneys.
The implementation of the LPTRP and the enforcement against unconsolidated jeepneys represent a major step in Iloilo City’s efforts to modernize its public transportation system and improve traffic management.
