First salvo: LTFRB summons first violator of memo vs vlogging of PUV drivers while driving

A taxi driver’s live streaming to discuss how hard it is to earn money put his operator in trouble after his vlog was monitored by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on social media. The operator of the taxi with license plate UWH 279 became the first casualty of the newly-issued memorandum circular that prohibits drivers of the public utility vehicles (PUVs) to engage in vlogging and content creation while driving—and especially if there are passengers on board. “We made it clear to the PUV operators through our memorandum that we will not tolerate such action because it endangers the lives of not only the driver and the passengers but also other road users,” LTFRB chairman Vigor D. Mendoza II said. The memo was issued after the social media team of the LTFRB noticed an increase in the number of PUV drivers engaged in vlogging and content creation while operating vehicles. The memorandum circular 2026-050 reinforces the existing Republic Act No. 10913, or the “Anti-Distracted Driving Act” which was enacted to safeguard the public from road crashes that stem from use of mobile communications devices and electronic entertainment and computing devices while driving. In the case of the taxi driver, he engaged in a live-streaming wherein he discussed the hardship of earning money as a taxi driver which the LTFRB said was in violation of Section 2, Item No. 1 of Memorandum Circular No. 2026-050. The memo prohibits vlogging and content creation as well as social media engagement which means browsing, scrolling, liking, commenting, or otherwise interacting with social media applications. The penalty for the violation is P5,000. And in the show cause order (SCO) issued by the LTFRB, the operator was asked to explain in writing why the Certificate of Public Convenience should not be suspended or cancelled. The operator was also mandated to attend the hearing on July 21. Mendoza then urged all PUV operators to remind their driver about the memorandum, saying the LTFRB is now very active in monitoring social media against violators. He also called on netizens to report any violation to the LTFRB, as he emphasized that road safety must always be the priority of all PUV drivers.