While reiterating that he is in favor of regularizing drivers and conductors of public transport so they can get a steady income, Partido Reporma chairman and standard-bearer Panfilo “Ping” Lacson could not help but reminisce about how his own father raised their family out of his earnings as a jeepney driver in their home province of Cavite.
“That’s the job that provided for us and helped send me and my siblings through school,” Lacson said proudly of the profession of his father, Buenaventura.
He said regularizing public transport workers is a great way to ensure they have regular salaries, give more opportunities to their families—especially in educating their children—and protect the commuting public in case of accidents.
“Because if they are regularized, they are easier to identify. Because again, if they are contractual, wasn’t in the practice back in the day that drivers had 10 licenses? So that if they get caught or have an accident, they can just throw away one and they would still have (other) licenses to use,” he explained.
The Partido Reporma chief’s father inspired him to fight crime on the streets, particularly the “kotong” (bribery) practice used by rogue cops, who often victimized the elder Lacson while plying his usual Cavite-to-Manila route.
In crafting the legislation needed to enforce this practice among public transport companies, the three-term senator said lawmakers must be “filled with data” to learn all its positive and negative effects for the industry, even as he stressed that regularizing drivers and conductors would raise their dignity.
“Regularization will professionalize the drivers and conductors, so they will see themselves in a better light, and improve their dignity because they become regular employees. They won’t rely on the ‘boundary system.”
He said most jeepney drivers and bus conductors have their income tied to a “boundary” that the vehicle owner or operator sets for a certain day or period.
The “boundary” income is what goes to the owner/operator; anything in excess of that then goes to the driver/conductor, which is highly variable given traffic conditions, the volume of passengers, and government regulations, to name a few factors.
Lacson, who is running for president on a platform of eradicating crime and corruption and fixing the government to benefit all Filipinos, added that if the public transportation system is fixed, transport workers will have more discipline and could easily be punished if they violate any laws.
On his official Facebook page, Lacson also shared a picture of his family during his days as a cadet at the Philippine Military Academy. “From Cavite to Baguio, my mother and father would make the long trip to see me,” he said.
“Isn’t it obvious that dad isn’t used to posing for the camera? He’s looking to the horizon! I guess he was only used to looking straight on the road while driving the jeep. I probably got my wariness for the camera from him.”