Jeepney drivers, operators to appeal SC ruling that junked plea vs. PUVMP

LAST-DITCH EFFORT | Members of transport groups Piston and Manibela call on the Supreme Court on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, to stop the government from implementing the modernization program for public utility vehicles which will see traditional jeepneys being replaced by minibuses. (Photo by RICHARD A. REYES / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — “With due respect to the Supreme Court, the fight is not over yet.”

This is what Bayyo Drivers and Operators Association (Bayyo) President Anselm Perweg said following their receipt of the high tribunal’s decision rejecting their petition against the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).

According to Perweg, they were dismayed by the High Court’s ruling, which, he said, invalidated their petition “over technical grounds” against the program of the Department of Transporation (DOTr).

In a copy of the decision provided to INQUIRER.net by Bayyo’s legal counsel, Attorney Sonny Matula, the Supreme Court said the group failed to present sufficient evidence in their petition to block the implementation of the PUVMP.

“The Court cannot simply rely on the bare and unsubstantiated allegations of the petitioners as to the supposed adverse effects of the assailed DO No. 2017-011 on the livelihood of PUJ [Public Utility Jeepney] drivers and operators,” said the ruling.

The Supreme Court’s resolution was promulgated in July 2023 but it was only delivered to Bayyo on March 5.

Two days after receiving the Supreme Court ruling, the drivers and operators’ group said in a statement that they would file an appeal before the high tribunal.

“We will file a motion for reconsideration and beg for the court’s leniency regarding locus standi [right to be heard], as this case involves an issue of transcendental importance,” Matula said in a text to INQUIRER.net.

“Precedent indicates that the Supreme Court has granted due course to numerous motions for reconsideration.”

Petition against PUVMP

Bayyo’s petition was filed to oppose the enforcement of the PUVMP, which, they said, would have detrimental effects on jeepney drivers and operators across the country.

According to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, the PUVMP seeks to upgrade public transportation in the Philippines by introducing new units and models of public utility vehicles that are more technologically advanced and “environmentally friendly” than the existing ones.

Eventually, old models, including the trademark Filipino jeepney, will be phased out and barred from ferrying commuters.

Drivers and operators are concerned that they would need to purchase these new models at a high price.

“We would be buried in debt if the PUV modernization would be implemented in its current form and we cannot especially afford the new P2-million jeepney unit,” Perweg continued.

“The Bayyo Drivers and Operators Association is calling for a reconsideration of the Supreme Court’s decision, hoping that the court will see merit in their arguments and recognize the importance of an inclusive decision-making process in government,” the group’s statement said.

In December 2023, another transport organization, Piston, also filed a petition before the high tribunal asking it to issue a temporary restraining order to prevent the transportation department from implementing the PUVMP.