UNITYWALK Supporters of the government’s public transport modernization program walk from Welcome Rotunda in Quezon City to Mendiola, Manila, to protest against a Senate resolution calling for the program’s temporary suspension. —Marianne Bermudez
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will not suspend the public utility vehicle modernization program (PUVMP) as requested by 22 of 23 senators in a resolution they signed last week, according to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
The assurance came from LTFRB Chair Teofilo Guadiz III during a program held by pro-PUVMP transport groups at Mendiola, Manila, near the Palace gates, on Monday.
“The [PUVMP] will continue. The President supports the program and this will continue until the final stages of the modernization program,” he said.
READ: 22 senators want PUV modernization program put on hold
“Through the DOTr (Department of Transportation), the entire country can count on the President to support the program. No suspension will happen. No resolution can stop the government’s program,” Guadiz added, which was met by cheers from the crowd.
The program was held by members of the Angat Kooperatiba at Korporasyon ng Alyansang Pilipino para sa Modernisasyon (Akkap Mo) who staged a “unity walk” from Welcome Rotunda in Quezon City at around 6 a.m. to voice their opposition to Senate Resolution No. 1096, which urged Mr. Marcos to temporarily suspend the modernization program over several issues.
Antiriot officers of the Manila Police District (MPD) stopped the marchers when they reached España Boulevard although they were later allowed to proceed, with Guadiz himself saying that the group had obtained a permit to proceed to Mendiola.
Heavy traffic
Rains that caused floods on España Boulevard did not deter the marchers, who occupied two of the four-lane busy road, further worsening traffic flow in the area.
“This is the 83 percent of the PUV sector that complied with and embraced the PUVMP. They are the ones that paved the way for our transport system to be modernized,” Guadiz said of the group.
He also joined them as they chanted, “No to suspension of Public Transport Modernization Program!”
According to the MPD, there were 500 participants—far from the 5,000 to 10,000 people the group had expected. Members of the “Magnificent 7,” composed of the country’s seven largest transport groups, which had also voiced their opposition to the Senate resolution, did not join the protest.
On the other hand, Manibela (Malayang Alyansa ng Bus Employees at Laborers), a transport group opposed to the modernization program, provided free rides to commuters in different parts of Metro Manila.
In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Manibela president Mar Valbuena said they would wait for a resolution from the House of Representatives also calling for the suspension of the PUVMP “to be a louder call to urge President to suspend the program.”
Anti-PUVMP protest set
He added that in the coming week, anti-PUVMP transport groups would also conduct their own unity walk “to face off” with pro-PUVMP groups.
After the April 30 deadline, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the consolidation rate under the program already reached 83.38 percent, with the Office of Transport Cooperatives accrediting 1,781 cooperatives with 262,870 members.
The government is now completing the Local Public Transportation Route Plan (LPTRP) or the route rationalization component of the PUVMP, which will determine the appropriate number of PUV units to serve a particular route.
According to Bautista, there are 6,090 consolidated routes and out of 1,574 local governments nationwide, 71 percent have submitted their draft LPTRPs pending review and approval by the DOTr and LTFRB.
There are currently 11,165 modern jeepneys and other modernized public transport vehicles operating nationwide. There are 80 modern PUV models being offered by 28 manufacturers and assemblers, of which 58 percent are locally assembled by 16 manufacturers.