WHILE THE WORK FORCE WAITS Drivers belonging to the Villamor Air Base Jitney Operators and Drivers Association modify the interior of a jeepney according to physical distancing regulations as they wait for the government’s go-ahead for jeepneys to return on the road. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) has urged the government to bring back public transportation, as countless workers continue to have little to no means of getting a ride to work in areas under general community quarantine.
This was one of 10 recommendations the PCCI made on Monday during this year’s Sulong Pilipinas forum, which was held solely online for the first time since the annual conference began in 2016.
PCCI president Benedicto Yujuico announced the group’s top 10 “actionable recommendations,” which covered different topics, such as agriculture, education, internet connectivity and public transportation.
Yujuico said the government “should allow the operation of mass public transportation including buses and jeepneys” that should adhere to the “highest” standards in health and safety.
“At the same time, [the government should] look into more sustainable transportation modes and open more and wider pedestrian and bike lanes within the year,” he said.
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto also batted for the return of jeepneys and other public utility vehicles (PUVs), saying the lack of adequate public transportation is detrimental to efforts to reduce joblessness and shore up the economy.
“You want to restart the economy? Then let PUVs restart their engines,” Recto said in a statement.
According to Recto, the lack of public transportation means many people could not report for work and if they don’t work, they don’t get paid.
“Allowing workplaces to open without providing the people with the means to go there is like telling the President he can now cross the Pasig River from his residence to his office for as long he does not ride any boats,” he said.
“That, today, is the sink-or-swim situation for the nation’s breadwinners,” he added.
But according to him, the government can allow jeepneys to resume operations by imposing health protocols.
It should also subsidize their operations so that they could take in half their usual capacity while still making a living, he said. Subsidy is not new in mass transportation, since the government subsidizes the MRT to the tune of P6 billion this year, he added.
“Running half-empty at the same old fares, further reduced for students and seniors, will be the final nail in their coffins,” he said.
More buses should be deployed as well, he added.
Recto said the government could likewise ease the burden on commuters by allowing members of the same family to ride motorcycles in tandem.
It should set up safe bike lanes and provide for the mass distribution of bicycles to workers, he said.
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR), for its part, said the government must work toward implementing people-centered and sustainable transportation policies, as the country eases itself out of the community quarantine and toward a postcoronavirus world.
“To alleviate the already dire situation of Filipino workers who are struggling to make ends meet, the commission calls on the government to ensure the operation of sufficient number of public transportation,” the CHR said in a statement on Sunday.
“Similarly, as people are already adopting alternative and nonmotorized modes of transportation such as biking, the government must provide short and long-term interventions to protect bikers during their commute,” the CHR added.