4 transport groups go to SC to support PUV modernization

SENTIMENTS | Posters showing sentiments of jeepney drivers against the government’s public utility vehicle modernization program are displayed in a transport terminal in Manila on Monday, Jan. 16, 2024. (Photo by RICHARD A. REYES / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — Pasang Masda and three other transport groups on Monday filed a motion before the Supreme Court opposing the petition to stop the implementation of the government’s public utility vehicle modernization program (PUVMP).

Pasang Masda president Robert Martin said they opposed the TRO filed by the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston) and other transport and commuter rights groups because they “want to keep the old and traditional jeepneys.”

“On our part, we want to change this because we have been left behind in Asia in the transportation sector,” he said.

Among Pasang Masda’s co-petitioners are the Liga ng Transportasyon at Operators sa Pilipinas (LTOP), the Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines or Altodap, and the Alliance of Concerned Transport Operators or Acto.

LTOP president Orlando Marquez said they were hoping the high court would heed their request to intervene in the proceedings, as they claim they have the support of 80 percent of thousands of jeepney drivers and operators nationwide.

The PUVMP is a project launched in 2017 during the administration of then-President Rodrigo Duterte that aims to replace old jeepneys with modern units and organize drivers and operators into cooperatives or corporations.

However, the program has faced strong opposition from some transport groups, claiming it is “unfair, unfeasible, and coercive.” They argue that the new units are too expensive, that the government has not provided enough financial assistance, and that the program will lose livelihood for thousands of jeepney drivers.

However, Marquez emphasized that contrary to what rival transport groups are saying, traditional jeepneys will not be immediately phased out as the PUVMP was still at its first stage, which is the consolidation of drivers and operators.

“Once they consolidate, then we will see how many [jeepney units] should ply a certain route so it will not be outbalanced. The number of jeepneys should be appropriate with the number of commuters in that area; that is what the route rationalization is all about,” Marquez said.

‘Sufficient’

According to Zona Russet Tamayo, regional director for Metro Manila of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, the consolidated jeepney units in Metro Manila will be “sufficient” to serve commuters.

“When we mapped out the routes, majority of our main thoroughfares already have consolidated public transport. It is in other modes, perhaps buses, UV Express vans and even jeepneys. So when we mapped out the consolidated routes, we strongly believe that there will be no problem in terms of public transport… We already determined that there will be sufficient supply,” she said.

Earlier in December 2023, Piston and other groups asked for a TRO and a writ of preliminary injunction to stop the enforcement of the Dec. 31 deadline for franchise consolidation, arguing that the administrative orders issued by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and LTFRB were in grave abuse of discretion and violated their constitutional right to freedom of association and the voluntary nature of a cooperative under Republic Act No. 9520 or the Cooperative Code.

On Dec. 28, 2023, the Supreme Court ordered the DOTr and LTFRB to respond to Piston’s petition within 10 days. They have yet to do so.

Strike on

In the meantime, Manibela and Piston will push through with their latest protest action on Tuesday to oppose the “sloppy” PUVMP.

Manibela president Mar Valbuena said that about 10,000 to 15,000 jeepney drivers and operators will join the protest, starting at the University of the Philippines Diliman and ending at Mendiola in Manila.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chair Romando Artes said the agency is “prepared for any eventuality” should there be a disruption in public transport on Tuesday.

WITH REPORTS FROM JULIE M. AURELIO AND RUSSEL P. LORETO