NO ENTRY Antiriot police block the protest caravan of Manibela and Piston, transport groups who have gone to the Supreme Court to question the legality of the government’s modernization program for public utility vehicles (PUVs) on España Boulevard, Manila. PUVs not yet consolidated into cooperatives or corporations will be deemed illegal after Jan. 31.— RICHARD A. REYES
MANILA, Philippines — The livelihood programs offered to transport workers who have not consolidated as part of the government’s Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) are an admission that the program is ill-implemented, transport group Piston said on Monday.
Piston, citing data released by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), said that 395 jeepney and 108 UV Express routes in the National Capital Region have no consolidated units.
This translates to thousands of drivers potentially losing jobs following the ban on unconsolidated public utility vehicle (PUV) units starting February 1.
“Libo-libo pa ring tsuper at operator ang mawawalan ng kabuhayan kapag hindi nila inalis ang deadline,” Piston’s President Mody Floranda said in a statement.
(Thousands of drivers and operators will lose their livelihoods if they do not remove the deadline.)
In addition to the routes without consolidated units, there are 337 jeepney routes and 68 UV Express routes in Metro Manila with less than 60 percent consolidation rate, as shown by LTFRB.
But the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has remained firm that starting next month, unconsolidated PUVs will be tagged as “colorum” and will be apprehended.
“Imbis na ihinto ang programa para walang maapektuhan, nagkukumahog pa maghanap ng pondo para sa sa ayuda ‘diumano at para sa mga impounding. Eh ‘di aminado silang pumapalpak sila,” Floranda stressed.
(Instead of stopping the program so no one will be affected, they have been scrambling to raise funds for aid and impounding. So they are admitting that they are failing.)
Piston’s President was referring to the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) “enTSUPERneur” initiative, which aims to teach “interested” transport workers different skills, including animal raising and entrepreneurship.
READ: DOLE livelihood program to aid 1,500 transport workers affected by PUVMP
DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said the initiative is already set to benefit 1,500 transport workers.
In a previous interview with Inquirer.net, Floranda stressed that the transport workers affected by the PUVMP do not wish to switch professions but instead retain their current livelihood.
He also noted that government aid can only go so far, and a better approach would be to think of ways to protect the jobs of thousands of drivers and operators.
As the new cutoff point approaches in February, Piston also urged the Supreme Court to intervene in the PUVMP anew.
According to the LTFRB, the PUVMP aims to upgrade the country’s land transportation system, as it will replace traditional PUVs with modern minibuses fitted with “environment-friendly” engines, CCTVs, and automatic fare collection systems, among others.