The government on Monday shrugged off protest actions and threats of strikes by jeepney operators and drivers and said its Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) would proceed as scheduled.
Meanwhile, two transport groups, Manibela and PISTON, said they will stage a protest caravan today to oppose the modernization program with the participation of about 15,000 operators, drivers, commuters, and even students.
The caravan will kick off from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City to reach Mendiola, Manila, near the presidential palace, Manibela chairman Mar Valbuena said.
Valbuena called on President Marcos to retract the looming revocation of unconsolidated franchises.
But Land Transportation and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairman Teofilo Guadiz said: “We remain firm in our stand to end the consolidation [phase], and we will proceed with the other phases of modernization. This is a 10-year phased program that started with consolidation. The second phase will be operationalization.”
Drivers and operators who have not consolidated may still do so until Jan. 31, Guadiz said.
“What we are just asking for is for them to consolidate first so they could form an organization,” he said.
Guadiz added that the phaseout of old jeepney units would take some time for those whose franchises have already been consolidated but units with unconsolidated franchises will be considered illegal after Jan. 31.
Office of Transportation Cooperatives (OTC) Chairman Andy Ortega, meanwhile, denied that President Marcos was misinformed about the PUVMP.
Ortega said the President was firm with his decision not to extend the deadline on the application for the consolidation of jeepney operators into cooperatives.
In their last meeting, Ortega said, the President was confident about the modernization program.
“When we sat with the President, we saw in his demeanor, in his eyes [that] he knows the numbers, he knows about the programs… and he was very confident in saying we will no longer extend the deadline,” Ortega said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Those who failed to apply for consolidation were no longer allowed to operate starting Monday, Jan. 1, 2024, especially in routes where 60 percent or more of the PUVs had applications.
Those in routes with less than 60 percent consolidation would be allowed to ply their routes until Jan. 31.
The PUVMP, started in 2017 under the Duterte administration, seeks to replace traditional diesel-fired jeepneys with vehicles that have at least a Euro 4-compliant engine to reduce pollution. PUVs that are not deemed roadworthy by the Land Transportation Office will also be phased out.
Ortega said drivers and operators who had problems consolidating their franchises could get help from government programs such as the “EnTSUPERneur” program by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the “Tsuper Iskolar” program by the Technical Education and Skills Development Program (TESDA).
EnTSUPERneur is an alternative livelihood program for transport workers displaced by modernization.
On the other hand, TESDA’s “Tsuper Iskolar” program aims to provide scholarships and livelihood training to drivers, operators, and their families.
While some transport groups have asked the Supreme Court to stop the PUVMP, Pasang Masda said it would oppose their petitions before the same venue.
Pasang Masda led by Obet Martin along with co-petitioners the Alliance of Concerned Transport Operators or ACTO, Liga ng Transportasyon at Operators sa Pilipinas (LTOP) and Alliance of
Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines filed their motion for intervention with attached comments and opposition to the main petitions against the PUVMP.
“Basically, we are opposing their petition for a TRO (temporary restraining order),” Martin said in an interview with reporters.
He said their groups are pushing for the PUVMP so that the country can catch up with its Asian neighbors in modernizing the transport sector, while the petitioners only want to keep their old jeepneys.
“They are allowed to keep traditional jeepneys as long as they are compliant with the Philippine national standard,” he said.
Martin also dismissed the petitioners’ claim about a looming transport crisis once the PUV phaseout is fully implemented.
“I’ve been in the transport sector for five years and I don’t believe that there will be a transport crisis starting Feb. 1. Instead, our income will likely improve along with the traffic flow. That supposed transport crisis, it will not happen,” he added.
Martin also debunked the claim of petitioners that modern jeepneys are overpriced.
He noted that modern jeepney suppliers are selling their units for P1 million to P1.5 million.
“Many modern jeepneys are cheap and still compliant with the Philippine national standards,” he said.