The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Monday said the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP) will continue with the government open to making some changes to ensure its successful implementation.
“Right now, status quo. Those who are already there will continue to do so and those who still have doubts, we will not force them to come in, but we will listen to them first,” Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said in a press briefing.
“We are not saying stop it. What I am saying is we need to validate the numbers. Those who have consolidated, we need to support them so that modernization can continue. But we need to look at the real situation on the ground and what the government needs to do to make it successful, it should be done,” he added.
The DOTr chief said if that means they will not immediately push for nationwide implementation, then they will have to decide soon. According to him, the agency will present “solutions” in two weeks after their discussions with two transport groups this week.
“We are absolutely open to changes. This time it would be clearer. We are open to changes. Clearly, there are some issues that need to be resolved… We need to know what the problem is, clearly there’s a problem and we need to find a solution,” Dizon said.
According to the Transportation Secretary, while about 86 percent of public utility vehicles (PUVs) have applied for consolidation under the modernization program, only around 40 percent have received approval.
“We have to study what the effect is. We have to be sensitive in our decision in the next two weeks. We have to be sensitive to the plight of our drivers and operators… The government wants to make it a success,” Dizon said.