To assist jeepney drivers and operators who have not joined the government’s jeepney modernization program, Senator Grace Poe urged the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to set up help desks nationwide.
She said the affected drivers can sign up for assistance that can be provided by the government.
Poe, chairperson of the Senate public services committee, said there appears a disconnect or misunderstanding on the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).
The senator has consistently raised questions on the PUVMP, including the route rationalization plan, subsidies and alternative livelihood.
At the same time, she said transportation officials should be ready to face scrutiny on the impact of the PUVMP, including utilization of the P200-million fund for drivers’ livelihood assistance.
“The consolidation deadline is not the end of the road for raising our concerns on the jeepney modernization. We will keep an eye on its implementation,” she stressed.
Poe has asked the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to submit a comprehensive data on the status and revised timeline of the PUVMP and its components; updated statistics on consolidation of jeepneys; and the number of routes being serviced, affected routes and contingency plans for these so as not to adversely impact commuters.
The senator also sought the DOTr’s plan for the drivers who lost their livelihood and on the status of implementation of assistance for them such as the Entrepreneur and Tsuper Iskolar programs.
She also intends to raise questions on the fund utilization of past training programs for drivers amid reports that millions of pesos were not used.