LTO to spray 'colorum' PUVs with soapy water

MANILA, Philippines - This is one car wash you wouldn’t want to have.

Soon, Land Transportation Office (LTO) enforcers will spray soapy water on “colorum” public utility vehicles or those that are unregistered or operating out of their designated route.

“We will clean the streets of Metro Manila even if it takes soaping violators down to remind them that commuters deserve services that are ‘clean,’ meaning they are legitimate and roadworthy,” said LTO-National Capital Region director Teofilo Guadiz III.

Recently, Guadiz reconstituted the Regional Law Enforcement Group and augmented their numbers by tapping people from the LTO’s district offices.

He has ordered the RLEG members to intensify their operations against colorum vehicles.

“These illegal practices do not only make a mockery of our laws but also cause the congestion of our thoroughfares and dilute the income of legitimate public utility operators and drivers,” he said.

Guadiz said the LTO was able to apprehend a total of 382 colorum vehicles during the second half of 2011, and 30 colorum vehicles for this month alone.

“Four were physically impounded for violation of illegal transfer of plates and one for (car theft) charges,” he said.

The LTO-NCR also launched hotline numbers 438-8688 and 0915-5832662, through which concerned citizens can report illegal terminals and colorum operations.