EXPEDITING THE METHODS IN PRESCRIBING, REDEFINING OR MODIFYING THE LINES AND MODES OF OPERATION OF PUBLIC UTILITY MOTOR VEHICLES IN THE PHILIPPINES

• Number: Presidential Decree No. 101
• Sections: 7

Preamble

WHEREAS, in the Greater Manila Area, the

bigger towns and cities in the Philippines, and the main roads

connecting them, there exists serious traffic congestion and disorder

that have been causing accidents and delays in travel, which are highly

detrimental to public safety and convenience and to the functions of

commerce, industry, and the Government;

WHEREAS, in many parts of the country, due

partly to inadequacy of transportation facilities, there have abounded

unauthorized operators of public utility motor vehicles ("colorum" and

"kabit"), who have clandestinely operated in violation of the penal

provisions of existing law, rendered unregulated, unsafe or sub-standard

service, put up unfair competition to legitimate operators, and

deprived the Government of considerable amounts of taxes and fees;

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the State, as

swiftly as possible, to improve the deplorable condition of vehicular

traffic, obtain maximum utilization of existing public service motor

vehicles, eradicate the harmful and unlawful trade of clandestine

operators by replacing or allowing them to become legitimate and

responsible operators, and update the standards that should henceforth

be followed in the operation of public utility motor vehicles; and

WHEREAS, to carry out this national policy, it

is imperative to provide, among other urgently needed measures, more

expeditious methods in prescribing, redefining, or modifying the lines

and modes of operation of public utility motor vehicles that now or

hereafter may operate in this country;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS,

President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by

the Constitution as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the

Philippines, and pursuant to Proclamation No. 1081, dated September 21,

1972, and General Order No. 1, dated September 22, 1972, do hereby

promulgate this Decree.

Section 1 Powers of the Board of Transportation.

SECTION 1. Powers of the Board of

Transportation. — Notwithstanding the provisions of existing law to

the contrary, the Board of Transportation, in carrying out the declared

national policy, shall have the power:

To prescribe, redefine or modify the lines, routes, or

zones of service of operators that now or hereafter may operate public

utility motor vehicles in the Philippines.

To grant special permits of limited term for the operation

of public utility motor vehicles as may, in the judgment of the Board,

be necessary to supplement and render adequate the service in any area,

as a consequence of the modification of lines, routes or zones of

service undertaken pursuant to this Decree.

To grant special permits of limited term for the operation

of public utility motor vehicles as may, in the judgment of the Board,

be necessary to replace or convert clandestine operators into legitimate

and responsible operators.

To fix just and reasonable standards, classification,

regulations, practices, measurements, or service to be furnished,

imposed, observed, and followed by operators of public utility motor

vehicles.

Section 2 Exercise of powers.

SEC. 2. Exercise of powers. — In the

exercise of the powers granted in the preceding section, the Board shall

proceed promptly along the method of legislative inquiry.

Apart from its own investigation and studies, the Board in its

discretion, may require the cooperation and assistance of the Bureau of

Transportation, the Philippine Constabulary, particularly the Highway

Patrol Group, the support agencies within the Department of Public

Works, Transportation and Communications, or any other government office

or agency that may be able to furnish useful information or data in the

formulation by the Board of any policy, plan, or program in the

implementation of this Decree.

The Board may also call conferences; require the submission of

position papers or other documents, information, or data by operators or

other persons that may be affected by the implementation of this

Decree; or employ any other suitable means of inquiry.

Section 3 Limitations.

SEC. 3. Limitations. — In carrying

out the purposes of this Decree, the Board shall adopt and observe a

just and reasonable system of priorities in the redefinition,

modification, or grant of operating rights, and reduce as much as

possible any adverse effect on any person or persons affected by this

Decree.

Section 4 Transitory provision.

SEC. 4. Transitory provision. — Six

months after the promulgation of this Decree, the Board of

Transportation, the Bureau of Transportation, the Philippine

Constabulary, the city and municipal police forces and the provincial

and city fiscals shall wage a concerted and relentless drive towards the

total elimination and punishment of all clandestine and unlawful

operators of public utility motor vehicles.

Section 5 Repeal.

SEC. 5. Repeal. — All acts, parts of

acts, executive orders, and regulations inconsistent with the provisions

of this Decree are hereby repealed.

Section 6 Effectivity.

SEC. 6. Effectivity. — This Decree

takes effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila, this 19th day of January, in the year

of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-three.

(Sgd.) FERDINAND E.

MARCOS

President

Republic of the Philippines

By the President:

(Sgd.) ALEJANDRO

MELCHOR

Executive Secretary