The Cordillera Infrastructure Development Committee (InfraCom) has approved the endorsement to the Regional Development Council of the request of the Baguio City council for a resolution supporting the extension of the deadline for filing of applications for the consolidation of public utility vehicles (PUVs).
Baguio City Councilor Benny Bomogao said some transport groups in the city encountered problems that hindered them from filing their applications for consolidation on the March 31 deadline set by the Land Transportation and Regulatory Board in compliance with Department of Transportation Department Order 2017-011.
A group of 28 PUV driver-operators was able to consolidate but was not able to beat the deadline.
The March 18, 2019 deadline for filing of application was extended thrice. The first extension was June 30, 2020. The second was Dec. 31, 2020 and the third was March 31.
LTFRB-Cordillera OIC Director Lalaine E. Sobremonte said under Memorandum Circular 2021-021, transport groups that failed to file their application for consolidation by March 31 are allowed to operate under a provisional authority issued by the LTFRB, which is valid for one year.
These groups are given one year to acquire Omnibus Franchising Guideline-compliant units for them to join the consolidated entities that applied before the deadline.
The Infracom approved the endorsement of the request to the RDC with the recommendation to expand the coverage to the whole region.
The committee also endorsed the installation of a high-speed broadband Internet connection for the Capitol of Bontoc, Mountain Province as one of the priority projects of the Department of Information and Communications Technology.
DICT Luzon Cluster 1 Director Nestor Bongato presented a proposal from the ICT sub-committee requesting the DICT central office to include as a priority project the installation of high-speed broadband Internet connection for the Capitol in Bontoc.
The project is in line with the National Broadband Plan of the government, which aims to bring equitable communications technology infrastructure to unserved and underserved communities and far-flung areas of the country.
Engr. Alexander Badua of DICT LC1 said under the “Free wi-fi for all” program, 150 active sites are already established that provide free wi-fi in the Cordillera.
For 2021, DICT targets additional 195 sites for Covid-19 facilities, 68 sites for Managed Internet Services project to be put up in Ifugao and Mountain Province, one site for Point-of-Presence in Baguio City, and six sites for Municipal IP Transport in Ifugao.
The Infracom is a support committed of the RDC, which is chaired by Department of Public Works and Highways-Cordillera Director Khadaffy Tanggol with the National Economic and Development Authority as secretariat. – Press releasea
April 16, 2024
