To avoid confusion and misinformation, Senator Grace Poe on Tuesday urged the Department of Transportation to submit its report and enlighten the public on the latest developments on the jeepney modernization program amid its planned rollout this year.
“We want to know what has happened to the modernization program. Has the DOTr come up with clear guidelines on how to implement this? There are still many things to be ironed out,” Poe, chairman of the Senate committee on public services, said.
The senator noted that all the details of the jeepney modernization program should be laid on the table because as far as ordinary jeepney drivers are concerned, their livelihood is at stake.
She also appealed for sobriety among jeepney operators and drivers planning street protests following the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board’s implementation of the “Tanggal Bulok, Tanggal Usok” program, which some groups are linking to the modernization program.
“The lack of transportation hits the commuters hard and disrupts work and classes,” Poe emphasized.
In a hearing last December with representatives of jeepney groups and transportation officials, Poe recommended a pilot test of the modernization program amid the absence of clear guidelines and lack of consultation with the transport groups.
She proposed that the DOTr try the program on specific areas, and focus first on doable tests, such as compliance with safety standards, road worthiness and smoke emission.
During the hearing on the PUV modernization program, the DOTr promised a continuing dialogue with PUV organizations, operators and workers.
As a compromise, Poe appealed that old models that pass roadworthiness tests be allowed to continue plying their routes, and that jeepney operators comply with the Motor Vehicle Inspection System results recently set up by the DOTr.
While she believes there is a need to modernize the country’s public transportation, such as jeepneys, the senator said the program should not result in unjustly killing the drivers’ livelihood.
“The government should step in to ensure the public a convenient and safe way to commute, with the opportunity for the drivers and operators to upgrade their vehicles. However, it should not be too burdensome for them,” the senator said.
The DOTr had placed the cost of a new jeepney between P1.5 million and P1.8 million, with the government subsidizing a measly P80,000.