PUV modernization can’t be sustained, not environmentally sound – groups

ONE OF THE WORST File photo shows one of the reasons why Metro Manila was adjudged as one of the world’s worst in public transportation and mobility. (INQUIRER picture)

MANILA, Philippines — The Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) is not as sustainable as government claims it to be, some groups said on Saturday.

These organizations’ statements come a day prior to the December 31 deadline for franchise consolidation of public utility vehicles.

Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (KPNE) said the plan of Department of Transportation (DOTr) to replace the existing PUV units with “fragile” minibuses is not environmentally sound.

KPNE prefers the rehabilitation of the existing units.

“Importing surplus minibuses that break down easily, in the context of worsening climate change impacts like flooding, and essentially wasting thousands of PUV units when they can be rehabilitated, can hardly be called sustainable,” KPNE National Coordinator Jon Bonifacio told INQUIRER.net.

Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Department Order 2017-011 laid out the rules for PUVMP.

It states modern PUV units shall be fitted with combustion engines that comply with EURO IV emission standards.

Other units that use alternative fuel sources, such as electric and solar vehicles, shall also be deployed to replace traditional PUVs, LTFRB said.

Bonifacio, however, added while government’s intentions may be good on paper, DOTr might be forgetting the principles of “just transition.”

“The DOTr and the Marcos Jr. administration can throw around all the pro-environment language they want, but the PUVMP, at its core, violates the principles of a just transition,” he explained.

He said just transition entails “ensuring that people’s rights are protected as we address environmental issues.”

Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines (Yacap) likewise pointed out government’s enforcement of the modernization program trample on the rights of transport workers.

“In transitioning towards a more sustainable and genuinely eco-friendly future, the processes involved should be fair, equitable, and just,” Yacap said in Filipino in a post on social media.

“A project or a policy cannot be considered environmentally friendly if it is not pro-people,” the group insisted.

Meanwhile, fishers group Pamalakaya said its opposition to PUVMP does not mean its members are anti-progress.

It said Pamalakaya is just concerned with the loss of livelihood in the transport sector.

“We clarify that we are not against the modernization of public transportation as long as it is based on the capability and capacity of the operator, not for privatization,” the group said.

The group’s remarks come, despite DOTr’s repeated statements that the modernization program will provide a “climate-friendly, and environmentally sustainable transportation system in the country.”

For its part, transport group Piston on Friday said over 28 million Filipinos will be affected by a “transport disaster” in Metro Manila.

This event will supposedly happen if the modernization program will push through.