The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has vowed to end the illegal use of so-called “tempo” or temporary permits in Transport Network Vehicle Service (TNVS) operations, in line with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s directive to pursue violators of public transport regulations.
LTFRB Chairperson Atty. Vigor D. Mendoza II, under the guidance of Transportation Secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez, stressed that “temporary permits” do not exist and that any TNVS driver or operator claiming to have one is engaged in illegal activity.
“There is no such thing as a tempo or temporary permit. This so-called tempo is fake. The LTFRB only issues a provisional authority or an authority to operate,” Mendoza said.
He urged Transport Network Companies (TNCs) to strictly monitor their partner-drivers and ensure full compliance with government rules.
“We already stopped this illegal practice after my meeting with TNCs last month. But we continue to receive complaints about a few TNVS still using this so-called tempo,” he added.
The use of “tempo” permits—allegedly issued for a fee and accompanied by regular kickbacks—has become widespread and has been linked to corrupt practices within the agency, according to transport groups. They stressed that the scheme is effectively a form of colorum operation.
In response, Mendoza, backed by Secretary Lopez, initiated a crackdown on the “tempo” system as part of efforts to improve the income of legal drivers and operators. This campaign complements ongoing nationwide anti-colorum operations.
Transport groups estimate that colorum vehicles reduce their daily income by as much as 30 percent, making the fight against “tempo” an important measure to protect their earnings.
Mendoza said the LTFRB will extend monitoring efforts to other public transport platforms and has intensified intelligence operations targeting cohorts within the LTFRB who may be involved in issuing fake permits.
“Let this be a warning to all TNCs: we will not hesitate to cancel your authority to operate if we find that you tolerate or fail to act against this. These illegal operations will not thrive if you do your job because erring TNVS drivers are using your platforms,” he warned.
He added that the LTFRB is fast-tracking the processing of pending applications—estimated at over 30,000 last month—to reduce the likelihood of TNVS operators resorting to illegal means.
“And this warning goes as well to corrupt LTFRB personnel: not only will you be dismissed, you will face criminal charges once caught,” Mendoza emphasized.