Transport modernization program not anti-poor, says Palace

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Thursday underscored that the government's transportation modernization program, which would remove from roads jeepneys which are 15 years or older, was not anti-poor and not meant to put operators out of business.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque also assured jeepney drivers that the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program was designed to strengthen and guarantee the profitability of their business.

"We assure Filipino jeepney drivers that this initiative of the government to improve our public transport sector will not put them out of business," Roque said in a statement.

"It was not designed to phase out jeepneys," he emphasized.

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Roque said that the Department of Transportation was already taking steps to improve the country's transport facilities and to ensure that the concerns of public utility vehicle drivers were addressed.

He said that drivers could avail of a financing scheme to acquire new units through the Support Alternative Driving Approaches program of the Development Bank of the Philippines and Landbank's Special Environment-Friendly and Efficiently Driven Jeepney program.

"The Department of Finance (DOF) is offering a 5% equity, 6% interest rate and a repayment period as long as 7 years financing package on top of the PhP80,000 subsidy per unit to cover the equity payment. In addition, there is zero or low maintenance cost of new units in the first 3 years, which translates to savings," the presidential spokesman said.

On Wednesday, the DOTr announced that it would start removing from roads jeepneys that were at least 15 years old as part of the government's modernization program.

DOTr Undersecretary Thomas Orbos said that the three-year transition period for the modernization program would start this January and would last until 2021.

He said that they would launch the Motor Vehicle Inspection System to determine the age of a jeepney unit and its road worthiness.

Electric Euro 4-complaint vehicles will replace 15-year-old jeepneys, a relic of the Second World War, on roads. New jeepney units should also have security cameras, GPS navigation systems, an automatic fare collection system, dash cameras and internet connection.

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Some transport groups however have opposed the program, insisting that small operators and drivers would not afford the cost of the new units.

As a sign of their opposition, they have launched in recent months transport strikes that have affected some areas in Metro Manila and some provinces.

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