Following the alleged ‘irregularities’ in the addition of new participants in the extended motorcycle taxi pilot run, the Lawyers for Commuter Safety and Protection (LCSP) is planning to file a graft complaint against some members of the Technical Working Group (TWG) on motorcycle taxi.
In a press briefing held today, Atty. Raymond Fortun of LCSP shares, “Right now, what LCSP is planning to do is to file necessary complaints against the erring public officials who claimed to be part of the TWG.”
It can be noted that in December of 2019, the TWG extended the six-month pilot implementation of motorcycle taxi operations with the inclusion of new players, Move It and JoyRide PH which will now operate alongside Angkas.
Supervised by the TWG, the test run was created to determine the viability of motorcycles as a safe mode of public transportation. TWG members include representatives from the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Land Transportation Office (LTO), and the Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (i-ACT).
Atty. Ariel Inton, also a member of the LCSP called out some irregularities that both the DOTr and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) were guilty of. “First of all, they came up with a new Department Order or DO dated December 19, 2019, constituting a new Technical Working Group or TWG composed only of representatives from government agencies. The original civil society stakeholders were effectively eased out,” the group revealed.
According to the lawyer group, the new DO constituted the new TWG and appointed Mr. Gardiola as the chairman. “But, the funny thing about it is that it was not only printed using an LTFRB letterhead (and not a DOTr letterhead), it was signed by Mr. Gardiola himself as the new chairman of the TWG and LTO Asec. Galvante,” Atty. Fortun said.
The commuter group has announced that they would be filing their complaint in the coming week against the LTFRB member and TWG Chairman Antonio Gardiola Jr., and “all of those who participated in that kind of decision.”
Meanwhile, Fortun stressed, “Hindi involved ang Angkas to whatever actions we are going to make. We are more interested in good governance, transparency.”