MANILA, Philippines — With the country in the middle of a transport crisis, the incoming administration should re-evaluate the "sudden and unjust implementation" of the jeepney modernization program, a transport reform advocacy group said Wednesday.
In a statement sent to reporters, commuter group The Passenger Forum expressed wariness that the current transport crisis will be used to further implement the DOTR’s Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, just like how the COVID-19 pandemic was used to advance the phasing-out of traditional jeepneys.
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“One of the things that this crisis has taught us is that mass transport options like jeepneys and buses are essential in our transport system," TPF Convenor Primo Morillo said in the statement.
"While we recognize that we have to modernize, we should think of how to implement just transition from our current fleet of traditional jeepneys to the so-called modern ones. The last thing our jeepney drivers and operators need is a program that does not take their livelihood and rights into consideration.”
Groups representing workers in the transport sector have also long pushed back against PUV modernization despite the benefits on the environment.
At a press conference earlier in May, Zaldy Ping-ay, Stop and Go Transport Coalition national president warned commuters that the public transportation crisis would possibly worsen under the incoming administration with the incoming officials — possibly including Tugade — still likely to continue pushing for the public utility vehicle modernization program.
READ: Why some transport groups oppose PUV modernization
"It's businesses that will profit from this. Maybe they only consulted businessmen, not the actual stakeholders," he said.
"What we're appealing from the next government is to put a stop to the PUV modernization, which causes a lot of problems in our ranks," he also said. "I hope they don't take away our right to make a living."
Much of the backlash from the program comes from the fact that drivers feeding poor families refuse to shoulder the P2.4 million price tag of a modernized jeepney, with many of them calling for a just transition instead of leaving them to shoulder the cost on their own.
During the pandemic, the government doubled its subsidy for these to P160,000, but the prices of units also doubled and now cost P2.4 million.
Morillo said that there are several ways to make the modernization just such as:
- eliminating the cash-out part of operators-drivers
- prioritizing the deployment of modern jeeps in new routes to prevent unfair competition with traditional jeeps
- prioritizing employment for displaced drivers
- implementing differences in price points in routes where both modern and traditional jeeps serve
“The best evidence of the importance of mass transportation is the situation of commuters on our roads today. The PUVM Program under the current DOTR has failed to consider the social costs and it resulted in injustice not just to drivers and operators but to commuters as well. We call on the next administration to assess the implementation of this unjust program and restart consultations with all affected sectors,” Morillo said.
“There are a lot of ways to fairly implement the government’s PUV modernization program. We are pretty sure that many leaders and members of other transport groups also have several ideas how to go about it. The key is ensuring consultation with affected sectors and sincerely listening to their views."