Bizman supports jeepney phaseout

CEBU, Philippines - Philip Tan, former president of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry, expressed his support to the government’s jeepney modernization program, saying that it is the appropriate move to improve the public transport system.

"The transition is about time," the businessman said in an interview yesterday.

Tan said this is one solution to modernize the country’s public transport system.

He, however, also underscored the need for the country to invest into public transport modes like buses, which can cater to more passengers.

He raised the need for political will to implement this new program.

On Monday, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) announced the PUJ modernization program will take place in a month's time, despite objections from some jeepney operators.

A major component of the program is the phaseout of all old public utility vehicles not just jeepneys.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade earlier said most jeepneys are of substandard quality in terms of safety and environmental sustainability.

Railway Project

Particularly in Cebu, a Light Rail Transit (LRT) system has been proposed amid the rapid economic development of the city.

Meanwhile, the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is now up for implementation.

Earlier, the Cebu City government signed a memorandum of agreement with a private consortium for a conduct of feasibility study of a Monorail Transit (MRT) in Cebu.

A railway system in Cebu has long been clamored by both the commuting public and the business sector, as this is seen as an effective solution to traffic woes.

There had been proposals to build a mass transport in Cebu but none had so far been realized.

That's why until now Cebu's commuting public continues to rely on public utility jeepneys (PUJ), which are described as low-quality and inefficient, as its main mass transport mode.

Developing a highway network and public transport are among the seven sub-roadmaps in the roadmap study for Metro Cebu develop by JICA.

The Metro Cebu Roadmap was initiated in 2013 by Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating Board, JICA, and Yokohama City in Japan to attain the Mega Cebu Vision 2050.

The blueprint study has seven sub-road maps: Metropolitan Competitiveness Enhancement; Urban Structure and Land Use; Highway Network and Public Transport; Water Supply, Storm Water and Wastewater Management; Solid Waste Management; Smart SRP (South Road Properties) Development; and Metropolitan Governance. (FREEMAN)