Do you want a USP franchise? Plant a tree first

MANILA, Philippines – The Land Transportation Franchise and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will begin requiring transportation cooperatives, corporations and individual operators with at least 10 public utility vehicles (PUVs) to plant trees prior to applying for new franchises or upon renewal. .

According to an LTFRB memorandum circular issued Friday, the applicant is required to plant one tree for each USP in need of a franchise. The memorandum goes into effect on December 1.

The regulatory agency expects 50,000 trees to be planted in the next three months, “at least to mitigate the impact of natural calamities.”

Tugade survey

After three months, all franchise applicants, including those with fewer than 10 USPs, must plant a tree for each vehicle, he added.

“This board, as part of our responsibility to conserve and protect our environment, agreed to initiate efforts by committing to plant trees throughout the Philippines and subsequently to hold our stakeholders, who have a similar responsibility to our environment and the next generation. … plant trees, as a precondition for the issuance of the certificate of public convenience, “said the circular.

According to LTFRB, the order stemmed from a survey conducted by the Secretary of Transportation, Arthur Tugade, on floods caused by typhoon “Ulysses” (international name: Vamco) in the province of Cagayán last week.

Where, when to plant

Tugade, a native of Cagayán, said he saw the need to dredge the Cagayán River, which was heavily sedimented, and reforest the region’s watersheds.

LTFRB Region II director Edward Cabase proposed the tree planting program and was recognized and supported by Tugade, the agency said in a statement.

PUV operators would have to coordinate with their respective local governments or local offices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to identify where and how the trees should be planted, the memo read.

Compliance test

The local government or DENR will issue proof of compliance or certification, which operators must include in their franchise application.

The order said that “not attaching this requirement will cause the non-acceptance of your application.”

The LTFRB memorandum did not specify what types of trees should be planted and where the seedlings can be obtained or purchased.

Imagine, if part of the responsibility of obtaining a franchise or license from all government offices is to plant trees in areas chosen by the local government and the Department of Natural Resources, we would be helping with this. [flooding] problem, “the transportation department quoted Tugade after its study of flood damage in Tuguegarao on November 15.

It is practical?

When told about the LTFRB memorandum, jeepney operator Freddie Hernandez, 52, said he was in “full support” of the tree planting initiative.

“For a long time I have been thinking about how the transport cooperative can return to the environment any damage caused by the exhaust gases of our vehicles,” said Hernández, who heads the Cooperativa de Servicios de Transporte de Taguig.

Acquiring and planting saplings to comply with the directive “won’t cost that much,” he said.

As early as 2017, Hernández and other members of the cooperative members agreed to replace their conventional jeepneys with the “more environmentally friendly” Euro-4 minibuses under the government’s USP modernization program.

But for provincial bus operator Alex Yague, “the goal of planting trees is highly commendable and all Filipinos should … support it, but asking USP operators to do so is not practical.”

“Perhaps the fees paid by the PUV operators in the registry can be used to finance reforestation programs, which should be planned with the DENR, DA (Department of Agriculture) and other agencies involved in climate change. [issues]Yague said.

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