COMPLAINTS have been filed by transport group Manibela on Wednesday against officials of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG).
Manibela, in a five-page complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman, said that the officials violated the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act by not observing “due process” as they pushed for the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).
Among the respondents in Manibela’s complaint are Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista, Office of Transport Cooperatives (OTC) Chairman Ferdinand Ortega, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III and Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra.
“Maraming na-violate ang programa nitong mga opisyal ng DOTr, LTFRB, OTC at kasama po dito ang solicitor general,” Manibela Chairman Mar Valbuena said in an interview with reporters.
“Inabuso tayo, nilabag ang ating mga karapatan, dineprive ang ating mga kabuhayan,” he added.
Valbuena said that the respondents violated human rights by depriving them of their livelihood due to DOTr-issued Memorandum Circular No. 2023-051.
Under the memorandum, PUV drivers and operators are required to consolidate into cooperatives or corporations until Dec. 31, 2023. If they fail to do so, the circular stipulates that their transport franchises will be revoked.
