“It is time to upgrade our mass transport system, given limited road space and environmental considerations”
Now that Malacañang has put its foot down on the recent Senate proposal to suspend the implementation of the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP), formerly known as the Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) Modernization Program (PUVMP), will the initiative to rationalize the mass transport system in the country push through without any hitches?
One thing for sure is that militant drivers’ groups will continue to stage protest actions and demand that government allow them to ply their routes using their existing units.
But will street protests and work stoppage succeed in convincing the government the old jeepneys are still a viable proposition in this day and age?
Jeepneys, we recall, are the product of Filipino ingenuity in transforming World War II-vintage jeeps left by the Americans in 1945 into a new mode of mass transport capable of accommodating only a small number of passengers.
But after nearly 80 years in service, these traditional jeepneys are already an anachronism in an age when fast trains able to carry hundreds of passengers above ground or in subways are already the norm in many cities around the globe.
We think it is already time to upgrade our mass transport system, given limited road space and environmental considerations and give jeepney drivers and operators alternative means of livelihood.
Proposed Senate Resolution 1096, signed by 22 of 23 senators, had called for the modernization program to be put on hold “pending the resolution of valid and urgent concerns raised by affected drivers, groups, unions, and transport cooperatives with the end in view [of] ensuring a more efficient and inclusive implementation of the PTMP.”
The senators noted nearly 27,000 PUV units or around 19 percent of PUVs and other vehicles failed to consolidate despite the April 30 deadline.
They attributed this to the government’s failure to properly educate drivers, operators, and transport groups about the program as well as the “burden of financing the cost of modern PUVs, which greatly exceeds the financial capacity of drivers and operators.”
Senate President Francis Escudero, however, clarified the suspension would apply only to those who have yet to comply with program requirements.
“What the Senate is asking for is simple, the government should first fix the program before they proceed with banning old transport models,” he said.
“They should slow down a bit and review the loopholes needed to be fixed before they fully implement it,” he added.
Under the modernization program, jeepney operators and drivers must consolidate or join or form cooperatives to ply their routes and to avail themselves of government assistance in modernizing and managing their fleets.
This is part of a process toward the phaseout of traditional jeepneys and their replacement with eco-friendly but more expensive modern units that will be partly subsidized by the government.
In response to mass actions contemplated by drivers’ groups against public transport modernization, the Department of Transportation says more that 80 percent of jeepney operators and drivers nationwide already belong to transport cooperatives.
This is the first requirement for their inclusion in the program.
The President’s disagreement with the Senate resolution is clear.
“They are saying the PTMP was rushed. The [program] has been postponed seven times. Those who have been objecting and asking for [its] suspension are in the minority. Eighty percent have already consolidated.
“So how do we do this? The 20 percent will decide the lives of the 100 percent? We listened to the majority and the majority said we should continue this.”
The jeepney modernization program actually began in 2017 and seeks to replace traditional jeepneys no longer roadworthy with vehicles that have Euro 4-compliant engines to reduce air pollution.
The cost of the vehicles, at least P2 million each, will only be partially subsidized by the government.
Data from the Department of Transportation showed 83.38 percent of transport operators and drivers had consolidated or joined cooperatives or corporations to help them acquire new, environmentally friendly jeepneys under rationalized routes.
A total 1,781 cooperatives with 262,870 members have also been accredited by the DOTr’s Office of Transport Cooperatives.
For the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, the Chief Executive’s decision reflects the government’s “steadfast commitment to the importance of modernizing the country’s public transportation system for safe, efficient and sustainable operations.” (Email: [email protected])
