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The Inland Haulers & Truckers Association (INHTA) has inducted its new set of officers and Board of Trustees for 2026-2027, with Teodorico Gervacio still leading the group as chairman and president
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Coinciding with INHTA’s 30th anniversary, the induction was held on December 9 with Manila City mayor Francisco Domagoso as inducting officer
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Gervacio said INHTA will be pushing to address several truckers’ concerns, including rationalizing the traffic demerit system, critical shortage of truck drivers, and amendment of the Anti-Overloading Law implementing rules and regulations
The Inland Haulers & Truckers Association (INHTA) has inducted its new set of officers and Board of Trustees (BOT) for 2026-2027, with Teodorico Gervacio still leading the group as chairman and president.
Coinciding with INHTA’s 30th anniversary, the induction was held on December 9, 2025 with Manila City mayor Francisco Domagoso as inducting officer.
The following are INHTA’s officers and BOT for the next two years:
- Lee Marvin Gaerlan – vice chairman and board secretary
- Elizabeth Infante – vice president for internal affairs
- Michael Cornelio – vice president for external affairs
- Demetrio Demetrio – treasurer
- John Siojo – auditor
- Gerry Dave Morales – public relations officer
- Kristoffer Tim Nocos – public relations officer
- Porferio Baes – sergeant at arms
In a speech during the event, Gervacio said the association’s priority is to push for the amendment of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 10930 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code, to “protect the livelihood of professional heavy vehicle drivers by rationalizing the Traffic Demerit System.”
In line with the law’s IRR, the Land Transportation Office institutionalized a point system used to assess the fitness and eligibility of driver applicants for their desired license transactions. Under the IRR, drivers of public utility vehicles such as trucks-for-hire, will receive double the number of demerit points for every traffic violation committed while operating a for-hire motor vehicle.
Gervacio argued that the “double demerit” rule is unjust for administrative or equipment-related infractions and should be restricted solely to grave moving violations like reckless driving that directly endanger public safety.
INHTA also recommends the complete exclusion of overloading and over height/dimension violations from the driver’s demerit record, asserting that the driver possesses no authority over the loading process and should not face license suspension for logistical decisions made by the operators and shippers.
Another concern is the “crucial driver shortage and safety crisis in Philippine logistics.”
INHTA will push for the shifting from generic driving schools to a company-led competency framework anchored by a new provisional commercial apprenticeship license (PCAL).
Gervacio said this regulatory innovation empowers experienced truck helpers, locally called pahinantes, to legally train on commercial vehicles via a structured 12-week “dual model” apprenticeship (70% on-the-job, 30% theory) under strict corporate liability and “certified mentor” supervision.
By validating skills through a tri-level audit system using real-time telematics rather than static exams, Gervacio said this framework allows for a direct conversion of the PCAL to a professional license (Restriction 8), ensuring a pipeline of verifiable, safe fleet operators while legitimizing the informal workforce.
READ: 20-30% truck driver shortage seen due to LTO requirement
Still in the list of priorities is the amendment of the implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act 8794 or the Anti-Overloading Law. Truckers for years have been asking the government to revise the IRR and take into consideration new types of trucks used in the Philippines and update the computation of gross vehicle weight to include truck dimensions.
