President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (MALACAÑANG FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the government would ensure that no driver would lose their job and livelihood under the government’s public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program.
Marcos said one of the concerns of transport groups brought up during a meeting in Malacañang on Tuesday amid the transport strike was that jeepney drivers won’t be able to acquire modernized jeepneys.
“Ang problema na kanilang sinasabi ay baka hindi sila mapautang para makapagbili ng bagong sasakyan kaya yan ang tinitingnan namin ngayon na tiyakin na walang mawawalan ng trabaho dahil hindi nakapagbili ng electric vehicle pagdating ng panahon,” he said in a chance interview in Quezon City.
(The problem that they told me is that they fear that they won’t be able to have enough money to buy modernized vehicles. That’s what we’re looking at now so that we will ensure that no one loses their jobs because they couldn’t buy electric vehicles.)
For now, the government is making sure that PUVs are safe for commuters, Marcos said.
The President also thanked the transport groups for terminating the transport strike after the meeting in Malacañang.
Marcos said he told transport groups during the meeting that the government will restudy the modernization program to ensure that drivers and operators will not be burdened.
The decision to terminate the strike came after PISTON president Mody Floranda and Manibela leader Mar Valbuena met with Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Garafil, who is the former chairperson of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.
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